What Oliver Sacks's Story Can Help Us Understand About Eye (Uveal) Melanoma

The news

Oliver Sacks was a neurologist and best-selling author, known for books such as Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, which brought the human stories behind neurological conditions to a wide readership. He had been treated years earlier for a melanoma in his eye. In February 2015 he published a widely read essay in The New York Times titled "My Own Life," in which he shared that the cancer had spread to his liver and that his illness was terminal. He wrote of gratitude for the life he had lived. He died in August 2015 at age 82.

That is what he chose to make public in his own words. We do not add private detail beyond what he shared.

Why people are talking about it

Sacks's essay became a landmark piece of writing about facing death with clarity and gratitude. Because he wrote so openly, his story continues to draw attention to a cancer most people have never heard of: melanoma that begins inside the eye.

What this cancer means

According to the National Cancer Institute, intraocular (uveal) melanoma is a rare cancer that forms in the eye. NCI notes that it usually has no early signs or symptoms. As with melanoma of the skin, NCI states that risk factors include having fair skin and light-colored eyes. It is a different disease from the far more common skin melanoma, though both begin in pigment-producing cells.

What to remember

Sacks's account is his own. Every person's cancer behaves differently, and a public essay cannot tell anyone how their own illness will unfold. His writing was reflection, not medical guidance. What it offers readers is a model of facing hard news honestly, and a reminder that even rare cancers are real and worth understanding.

Awareness, screening, and prevention

NCI states that it does not have evidence-based information about screening for, or prevention of, intraocular melanoma, and points readers to its general cancer screening and prevention overviews. In other words, there is no routine screening test for this specific cancer. Regular eye examinations, where an eye-care professional can look at the inside of the eye, are how some cases come to attention. Thinking about your own health and screening more broadly can start with our free screening check-up tool.

Turning a story into something useful

Knowing that melanoma can begin in the eye, understanding that it is rare and different from skin melanoma, and appreciating the value of routine eye care are calm, useful takeaways from Sacks's story. Supporting free, trustworthy cancer education helps spread accurate information about even the less common cancers.

Questions to ask a healthcare team

• What does a routine eye examination check for?
• Should any changes in my vision be evaluated?
• What does it mean when a cancer has spread to another organ?
• Where can I find reliable information about rare cancers?