Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians see lots of patients every week. Carrying out an eye examination or dispensing, fitting and adjusting spectacles provides a good opportunity to spot unusual lesions on the skin around the eyes, face and ears. As clinicians dealing with the public and, in particular, an ageing population you are likely to see facial skin lesions regularly. Knowing which lesions need to be referred, which can be dealt with cosmetically and which are best left alone can be of great benefit to you and the patient.

Do you know your benign moles from your malignant melanomas? Can you tell a basal cell carcinoma from a seborrhoeic keratosis?

In this month's etCETera we've compiled a definitive guide to the diagnosis and management of some of the more common facial skin lesions you're likely to encounter. Complete the article and MCQ test to earn 1 CET point. We've also compiled a library of images of each condition. So you can see lots of different presentations, and compare them to what you're seeing on patients.

It's not quite eye diseases but your patients will thank you for catching any nasty lesions before it's too late.