Ocular cancer

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.

Treatment will aim to conserve the affected eye whenever possible.

The main treatments for eye melanoma are:

brachytherapytiny plates lined with radioactive material called plaques are inserted nearthe tumour and left in place for up to a week to kill the cancerous cells
externalradiotherapy a machine is used to carefully aim beams of radiation at the tumour to kill the cancerous cells
surgery to remove the tumour or part of the eye this may be possible ifthe tumour is small and you still have some vision in your eye
removal of the eye (enucleation) this may be necessary if the tumour is large or you've lost your vision;the eye will eventually be replaced with an artificial eye that matchesyour other eye

Chemotherapy is rarely used for eye melanoma, but may be suitable for other types of eye cancer.

TheCancer Research UK website has more information about the treatment options for eye cancer and the types of eye cancer surgery.

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018

Articles for ocular cancer

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

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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