Cancers of the Eye: How They Can be Found, What You Can Do About Them

Virtually every part of your body could become malignant (when cells reproduce beyond control, forming cancer tumors), including your eyes. Early detection of cancer may significantly increase your chances of successful treatment, so a regular eye exam may spot cancer before you realize it’s there.
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The eye has three parts. Different types of cancer can occur in each part:
  • The eyeball (or globe) is filled with a jelly-like material (the vitreous humor) and has three main layers (sclera, uvea, and retina)
  • The orbit (the tissues surrounding the eyeball)
  • The adnexal (accessory) structures (eyelids and tear glands)
Cancers impacting the eye are intraocular (within the eye) cancers, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Cancers starting in the eye are primary intraocular. Secondary intraocular cancers begin in another part of the body and spread (or metastasize) to the eye. The ACS states that cancers of the eye are relatively rare. It estimates that in 2019 in the US there were 3,360 new cancers (mainly melanomas) of the eye and orbit. There were an estimated 370 deaths from cancers of the eye and orbit. In comparison, the most common cancer was breast cancer last year with about 270,000 new cases, causing roughly 42,000 deaths, according to the National Cancer Institute. The most common primary intraocular cancers in adults are melanoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. For children, they are retinoblastoma (which starts in the retina) and medulloepithelioma (the second most common, but extremely rare). Secondary intraocular cancers are more common than primary ones. The most common types are breast and lung cancers which usually spread to the uvea in the eyeball. Everyone should have regular eye exams. Melanomas of the eye are frequently found during routine eye exams. A dark spot on the pupil at the back of the eye could be an early melanoma. It’s generally thought most melanomas start from a nevus (mole), a non-cancerous tumor of pigment cells. If there’s a nevus in the eye, it should be looked at regularly by an ophthalmologist to see if it’s growing. If there’s a dark spot on the colored part of their eye (the iris), a doctor should look at it, especially if it’s growing. Many with eye melanoma have no symptoms unless it grows in certain parts of the eye or becomes more advanced. They can have other causes, but if you suffer any of them, call our office for an eye exam:
  • Blurry or suddenly lost vision
  • Floaters or light flashes
  • Your field of sight shrinks
  • A dark spot on the iris (the colored part of your eye)
  • A change in the size or shape of the pupil (the dark spot in the center of the eye)
  • Your eyeball changes position within the socket
  • Your eye bulges
  • The eye moves within its socket differently
What can be done about eye cancer depends on many factors and can include:
  • Surgery
  • Radiation therapy
  • Laser therapy
  • Chemotherapy
  • Targeted drugs and immunotherapy
If the eye melanoma hasn’t spread from its original location, the average five-year survival rate after treatment is 85%. If it metastasized to distant parts of the body before treatment, that rate drops to 19%. These numbers tell the story why it’s so important to get regular eye exams to increase the chances eye cancer will be caught early, possibly greatly increasing the chances treatment will allow you to put cancer behind you. If you have questions about your vision or you’re having problems with your sight that need to be addressed, contact the Lehigh Valley Center for Sight at 610-437-4988 or fill out our contact form so we can start the conversation and work together to protect your sight and your ability to live your life. Houman Ahdieh, MD Lehigh Valley Center for Sight https://www.lvcenter4sight.com eyedoc@lvcenter4sight.com

https://www.lvcenter4sight.com/cancers-of-the-eye-how-they-can-be-found-what-you-can-do-about-them/

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