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.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan’s Liu Ming-i, right, who also goes by the name Ray Liu, poses with a Chinese Taipei flag after winning the gold medal in the men’s physique 170cm competition at the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation Asian Championship in Ajman, United Arab Emirates, yesterday.
A year-long renovation of Taipei’s Bangka Park (艋舺公園) began yesterday, as city workers fenced off the site and cleared out belongings left by homeless residents who had been living there. Despite protests from displaced residents, a city official defended the government’s relocation efforts, saying transitional housing has been offered. The renovation of the park in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), near Longshan Temple (龍山寺), began at 9am yesterday, as about 20 homeless people packed their belongings and left after being asked to move by city personnel. Among them was a 90-year-old woman surnamed Wang (王), who last week said that she had no plans
‘SPEY’ REACTION: Beijing said its Eastern Theater Command ‘organized troops to monitor and guard the entire process’ of a Taiwan Strait transit China sent 74 warplanes toward Taiwan between late Thursday and early yesterday, 61 of which crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait. It was not clear why so many planes were scrambled, said the Ministry of National Defense, which tabulated the flights. The aircraft were sent in two separate tranches, the ministry said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday “confirmed and welcomed” a transit by the British Royal Navy’s HMS Spey, a River-class offshore patrol vessel, through the Taiwan Strait a day earlier. The ship’s transit “once again [reaffirmed the Strait’s] status as international waters,” the foreign ministry said. “Such transits by
RSS