Moles developing on the whites of the eyes are usually harmless, an opthalmologist said, but advised regular checkups to ensure that they do not develop into ocular melanoma, or cancer of the eye.
Chen Ying-shan (陳瑩山), director of Cathay General Hospital in Hsinchu’s ophthalmology department, cited the case of a 50-year-old woman, who visited the hospital because she was worried that a mole in her eye might be malignant.
While doctors confirmed that it was simply a nevus — a benign pigmented growth similar to a skin mole — the woman asked that the mole be removed via laser surgery.
To reassure the patient, the hospital also conducted a biopsy of the nevus, which turned up negative, Chen said.
About 99 percent of nevi are harmless, but some people — like the female patient — find them aesthetically disturbing, he said.
Some individuals also believe that moles in the eyes are a sign of an overactive sex drive and that people who have them are more likely to engage in extramarital affairs, Chen said, adding that there is no scientific proof supporting such beliefs.
However, people who have nevi in their eyes should monitor them and be alert if they grow larger, darker or become uneven, Chen said.
Some patients have also complained of moles on the whites of their eyes, which, on closer examination, were caused by prolonged friction due to the use of contact lenses, he said, adding that such conditions can be treated by surgery.
Left-Handed Girl (左撇子女孩), a film by Taiwanese director Tsou Shih-ching (鄒時擎) and cowritten by Oscar-winning director Sean Baker, won the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution at the Cannes Critics’ Week on Wednesday. The award, which includes a 20,000 euro (US$22,656) prize, is intended to support the French release of a first or second feature film by a new director. According to Critics’ Week, the prize would go to the film’s French distributor, Le Pacte. "A melodrama full of twists and turns, Left-Handed Girl retraces the daily life of a single mother and her two daughters in Taipei, combining the irresistible charm of
A Philippine official has denied allegations of mistreatment of crew members during Philippine authorities’ boarding of a Taiwanese fishing vessel on Monday. Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) spokesman Nazario Briguera on Friday said that BFAR law enforcement officers “observed the proper boarding protocols” when they boarded the Taiwanese vessel Sheng Yu Feng (昇漁豐號) and towed it to Basco Port in the Philippines. Briguera’s comments came a day after the Taiwanese captain of the Sheng Yu Feng, Chen Tsung-tun (陳宗頓), held a news conference in Pingtung County and accused the Philippine authorities of mistreatment during the boarding of
88.2 PERCENT INCREASE: The variants driving the current outbreak are not causing more severe symptoms, but are ‘more contagious’ than previous variants, an expert said Number of COVID-19 cases in the nation is surging, with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) describing the ongoing wave of infections as “rapid and intense,” and projecting that the outbreak would continue through the end of July. A total of 19,097 outpatient and emergency visits related to COVID-19 were reported from May 11 to Saturday last week, an 88.2 percent increase from the previous week’s 10,149 visits, CDC data showed. The nearly 90 percent surge in case numbers also marks the sixth consecutive weekly increase, although the total remains below the 23,778 recorded during the same period last year,
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is pushing for residents of Kinmen and Lienchiang counties to acquire Chinese ID cards in a bid to “blur national identities,” a source said. The efforts are part of China’s promotion of a “Kinmen-Xiamen twin-city living sphere, including a cross-strait integration pilot zone in China’s Fujian Province,” the source said. “The CCP is already treating residents of these outlying islands as Chinese citizens. It has also intensified its ‘united front’ efforts and infiltration of those islands,” the source said. “There is increasing evidence of espionage in Kinmen, particularly of Taiwanese military personnel being recruited by the
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