About Eye Cancer

Around 850 cases of eye cancer are diagnosed in the UK each year. Several different types can affect the eyes, including eye melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, lymphoma, and retinoblastoma (a childhood cancer). Cancer can also occasionally develop in the tissues around the eyeball, or spread there from elsewhere in the body, such as the lungs or breasts. This article focuses on eye melanoma, one of the more common types — further information on other types of eye cancer is available through Cancer Research UK.

Symptoms

Eye cancer doesn't always cause obvious symptoms, and may only be found during a routine eye test. Possible symptoms include shadows, flashes of light, or wiggly lines in your vision, blurred vision, a dark patch in the eye that's growing, partial or total vision loss, one eye bulging, a growing lump on the eyelid or in the eye, persistent eye irritation, or, rarely, pain in or around the eye. These symptoms are often caused by more minor eye conditions rather than cancer, but it's important to get them checked by a doctor as soon as possible.

About Eye Melanoma

Melanoma is cancer that develops from pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. While most melanomas develop in the skin, they can also occur in the eye — most commonly affecting the eyeball itself (sometimes called uveal or choroidal melanoma, depending on the exact area), though it can also affect the conjunctiva or eyelid.

What Causes Eye Melanoma

Eye melanoma happens when pigment-producing cells in the eye divide and multiply too quickly, forming a tumour. It's not fully understood why this happens, but risk may be higher with lighter eye colours (blue, grey or green), white or pale skin, unusual moles, sunbed use, or overexposure to sunlight. Risk also increases with age, and most cases are diagnosed in people in their 50s.