Questions to Ask the Doctor

Regular communication with your doctor is important in making informed decisions about your health care. Consider asking the following questions of your doctor:

General questions:

• What type of eye cancer do I have?
  
  
• Where exactly is the tumor located?
  
  
• What stage is the cancer? What does this mean?
  
  
• Can you explain my pathology report to me?
  
  
• Do I need treatment right away?
  
  
• What are my treatment options?
  
  
• What clinical trials are open to me?
  
  
• What treatment do you recommend? Why?
  
  
• What is the goal of this treatment?
  
  
• What are the possible side effects of this treatment, both in the short term and the long term?
  
  
• How will this treatment affect my daily life? Will I be able to work, exercise, and perform my usual activities?

For patients who need surgery:

• What type of surgery do you recommend? Why?
  
  
• What are the side effects of my surgery?
  
  
• Will I need to stay in the hospital for this surgery? For how long?
  
  
• Will I have problems with my vision afterwards, either immediately or in the long term?

For patients who need an eye removed:

• How do I adjust to only having one eye?
  
  
• How long will it take me to recover physically?
  
  
• How soon can I get a prosthesis (artificial eye)?
  
  
• When do I get a permanent prosthesis?
  
  
• How do I care for my prosthesis?

For patients who need radiation therapy:

• What kind of radiation therapy will I receive?
  
  
• What does the preparation for this treatment involve?
  
  
• What is the likelihood of having radiation damage to my eye?
  
  
• What is the risk of vision loss?
  
  
• What other side effects can I expect from this treatment?
  
  
• What can be done to treat the side effects?

After treatment:

• What are the chances that the cancer will return?
  
  
• What follow-up tests do I need, and how often do I need them?
  
  
• What support services are available to me? To my family?