Routine Eye Tests Lead to Rare Uveal Melanoma Diagnoses, Highlighting Access Gap for Life-Extending Chemosaturation Therapy in the UK
Key Insights
Two UK patients diagnosed with ocular uveal melanoma (search) following routine eye tests now face fundraising campaigns totaling hundreds of thousands of pounds for chemosaturation (search) therapy not routinely available on the NHS.
Chemosaturation (search), a targeted liver-directed therapy, has shown benefit in nine out of ten patients according to Ocular Melanoma UK (search), but NICE guidance cites uncertainties about its safety and efficacy.
Both patients, initially asymptomatic, emphasize the critical importance of regular eye tests including OCT scans for early detection of rare but aggressive eye cancers.
When Jez Bridges, a 59-year-old father of four from Kinver, Staffordshire, visited his local Specsavers (search) for a routine eye test last July, he had no symptoms and no reason for concern. An optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan, which produces a 3D image of the entire eye, revealed a small mole that turned out to be uveal melanoma (search) — a rare and aggressive cancer of the eye. Despite an initially positive prognosis, Bridges was told six months later that the cancer had spread to his liver and was given between one and two years to live.
Similarly, Anne, a 63-year-old mother and grandmother from Wormhill, Derbyshire, was diagnosed with ocular uveal melanoma (search) in 2022 after her optician referred her to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield. A keen mountaineer and cyclist who considered herself fit and healthy, Anne had noticed no symptoms before the scan revealed a tumour on her retina. By the end of 2025, scans confirmed that further tumours had developed in her liver.
Both patients now face the same stark reality: their only treatment option is chemosaturation (search), a highly intensive targeted therapy delivered directly to the liver, which is not routinely offered on the NHS.
The Treatment and the Evidence
Chemosaturation (search), also known as percutaneous hepatic perfusion, is a procedure that isolates the liver's blood supply to deliver high-dose chemotherapy directly to the organ while minimizing systemic exposure. For patients with uveal melanoma (search) that has metastasized to the liver, it represents one of the few interventions that may extend survival.
Jo Gumbs, chief executive of the charity Ocular Melanoma UK (search), said a recent study suggested the treatment could make a difference in nine out of ten patients. "Whether people have a complete response, a partial response, or stability, that's classed as a good outcome, because uveal melanoma (search) can be such an aggressive cancer," Gumbs said.
However, a spokesperson for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (search) (NICE) stated that while its guidance concluded chemosaturation (search) could be used, there were "uncertainties about its safety and efficacy," and its use was recommended only with sufficient oversight.
The Cost of Time
Each session of chemosaturation (search) costs between £40,000 and £46,000 privately. For Bridges, whose sister Justine Owens is leading the fundraising effort, the goal is to raise £200,000. Anne's family has launched a JustGiving page to fund two more rounds of treatment at approximately £80,000.
The treatment will not cure either patient, but it could meaningfully extend their lives. "The only time I've had some hope has been this chemosaturation (search) because the results of that potentially could extend my life," Anne said. "Without that what they were saying was 18 months."
For Bridges, the extra time with his family would mean "everything." He said: "I can't even begin to think about any of the kids, their futures, them getting married, let alone grandchildren, that I probably won't see anyway."
Fragmented Care and Patient Advocacy
Anne described the challenges of navigating a fragmented care system. "Since then it has been quite hard because you go to different centres as part of the process. There isn't one person looking after you. You have to be your own advocate and look at what treatments are available and that is hard," she said. She was referred to the Christie Hospital in Manchester but was told the treatment would have to be self-funded.
Peter Wilson, a family member, captured the emotional toll: "Watching someone you love face cancer is incredibly difficult. Watching them then have to worry about how they'll pay for treatment makes it even harder."
The Value of Routine Eye Tests
Both patients and their families are now raising awareness of the importance of regular eye examinations. Bridges noted that he remains asymptomatic to this day. "If I hadn't had that eye test — still to this day, I have no symptoms whatsoever," he said. "It wouldn't have been until I started having issues, and it's too late then. You're talking about three months, four months. You've got no time to prepare or to do the things you want to do or say."
His wife Kate added: "It's given us time to put things in place and enjoy the time that we've got. But there are other conditions that are fully treatable that eye tests can pick up and have a better outcome."
Bridges' sister Justine Owens summarized the family's motivation: "He just wants to be with us, to spend time with us. He doesn't want to climb a massive mountain or travel to Timbuktu — this is just about spending time with his family, making memories and sharing precious time."