Ocular cancer
Diagnosingmelanoma of the eye
If your GP or optician (optometrist) suspectsyou have a serious problem with your eyes, they will refer you to a specialist eye doctor called an ophthalmologistfor an assessment.
If they suspect you have melanoma of the eye, they'll refer you to a specialist centre for eye cancer. There are four centres in the UK, located in London, Sheffield, Liverpool, and Glasgow.
It's likely you'll have a number of different tests at the centre, including:
- an eye examinationto look at the structures of your eyes in more detail and check for abnormalities
- an ultrasound scan of your eyea small probe placed over your closed eye uses high-frequency sound waves to create an image of the inside of your eye; this allowsyour doctor tofindout more about the position of the tumour and its size
- afluorescein angiogram where photographs of the suspected cancer are taken using a special camera after dye has been injected into your bloodstream to highlight the tumour
Occasionally,a thin needlemay beused to remove a small sampleof cells fromthetumour (biopsy).The genetic information in these cells is analysed togive an indication of the chances of the cancer spreading or coming back.
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018
Introduction
Read about eye cancer, including the symptoms, causes, treatments, and outlook.
Symptomsof eye cancer
Eye cancer doesn't always cause obvious symptoms and may only be picked up during a routine eye test.Symptoms of eye cancer can include: shadows, flashes of light, or wiggly lines in your vision blur
Melanomaof the eye
Melanoma is cancer that develops from pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. Mostmelanomas develop in the skin, but it's also possible for them to occur in other parts of the body, including the
Whatcauses eye melanoma?
Eye melanoma occurs whenthe pigment-producing cells in the eyes divide and multiply too rapidly. This produces a lump of tissue known as a tumour.It's not clear exactly why this occurs, but the follow
Diagnosingmelanoma of the eye
If your GP or optician (optometrist) suspectsyou have a serious problem with your eyes, they will refer you to a specialist eye doctor called an ophthalmologistfor an assessment.If they suspect you ha
Treatmentsforeye melanoma
Treatment for melanoma of the eye depends on the size and location of the tumour. Your care team will explain each treatment option in detail, including the benefits and any potential complications.Tr
Outlookfor eye melanoma
The outlook for melanoma of the eye depends on howbig the cancer is at the time it's diagnosed and exactly which parts of the eye are affected.Overall: about 8 out of every 10 people (80%) diagnosed
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