Australian model reveals her shock eye cancer diagnosis as she discovers she has a rare form of the disease: ‘I had no idea it was a possibility’
Australian model Tilly Smith has revealed she was diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer, as she issues a dire warning to her followers about skin cancer checks.
The influencer, 32, shared the news with an Instagram video on Tuesday, telling fans she was diagnosed with ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) last Friday.
She said the cancer was discovered when she went to see an eye specialist after she experienced light sensitivity and found a growth beginning to form on her sclera.
‘If you weren’t aware, because I wasn’t, you can get skin cancer or melanoma on your eyeball,’ Tilly told her followers.
‘I get my skin checked often for skin cancers, but I’ve never ever checked my eyeballs.
‘When we got back from Maldives I went and got my eyes checked because they were all of a sudden super sensitive to light and what I thought was a pterygium seemed to have grown really quickly.’
Australian model Tilly Smith, 32, has revealed she was diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer, as she issues a dire warning to her followers about skin cancer checks
‘I was sent to a specialist on Friday who diagnosed me with ocular cancer,’ she added.
‘So I needed to let you know, when you get your skin checked next… please get your eyes checked because I had no idea it was a possibility and here we are.’
Tilly, who has a successful international modelling career, went on to say she was having surgery done on Wednesday to have the cancer removed from her eye.
Fans and famous friends flocked to the comments to wish Tilly well.
‘Oh my gosh Tilly! Sending you so much love,’ wrote model and Pilates instructor Dominique Elissa.
‘You’re amazing,’ added Natalie Roser.
Podcaster Steph Claire Smith commented: ‘Sending love Til. Thanks for sharing and hope it all goes smoothly.’
On Thursday, she revealed to Confidential that the surgery had gone well.
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The influencer shared the news with an Instagram video on Tuesday, telling fans she was diagnosed with ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) last Friday
Fans and famous friends flocked to the comments to wish Tilly well
‘I had my surgery yesterday, and honestly I was terrified going into it, but everything went smoothly and I’m already healing,’ she told the publication.
‘Eyes do fortunately heal quite quickly, so I’ll be back to life in no time.’
She went on to say the diagnosis has changed the way she manages sun protection, adding that she would be more vigilant about protecting her eyes as well as her skin.
‘I’ve always been very cautious and vigilant about my checks. Now that I’m aware of ocular cancer, it will be first on my mind, as I never thought to check before,’ she said.
