Ocular cancer
Introduction
Between 500 and 600cases of eye cancer (ocular cancer) are diagnosed in the UK each year.
There are a number of different types of cancer that affect the eyes, including:
- eye melanoma
- squamous cell carcinoma
- lymphoma
- retinoblastoma a childhood cancer
Cancer can also sometimes develop in the tissues surrounding your eyeball or spread to the eye from otherparts of the body, such as the lungs or breasts.
This topic focuses on melanoma of the eye, one of the most common types of eye cancer.The Cancer Research UK website hasmore information about the other types of eye cancer.
This page covers:
Symptoms of eye cancer
About melanoma of the eye
What causes eye melanoma?
Diagnosing melanoma of the eye
Treatments for eye melanoma
Outlook for eye melanoma
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 30 Nov 2016
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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