Nearly 2 dozen kinds of cancer can develop in the eye or the area surrounding the eye. If someone has eye cancer or ocular cancer, what are the early signs of eye cancer? How to diagnose eye cancer and what’s the best treatment for people with eye cancer? Awareness about eye health and cancer warning sign can help you and your dear ones beat eye cancer.
So, in today’s blog, let’s discuss everything about developing eye cancer and common treatment options.
Types of Eye Cancer
Eye cancer can develop on any part of your eye like eyeballs, tear ducts, etc. Based on that, eye cancer can be of the following types:
1. Intraocular melanoma
Eye melanoma is the most common kind of eye cancer. Nearly 2,500 people in the United States gets diagnosed with this eye cancer every year. It begins in the eye’s middle layer knows as uvea.
2. Eyelid tumors
Skin cancer can develop anywhere, even on the eyelids. Squamous cell carcinoma, lymphoma, and basal cell carcinoma may affect the eyelids.
It include basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, and lymph.
3. Intraocular lymphoma
Tumor developing in the vitreous or retina is termed intraocular lymphoma. Both eyes can be in danger at the same time.
4. Lacrimal gland tumors
As the name suggests, lacrimal gland tumors are found in the gland producing tears. These tumors can be malignant or benign.
5. Marginal zone lymphoma
Marginal zone lymphoma is characterized by a light orange or lemon-colored growth on the surface of eyes.
6. Orbital tumors
Tumors can sometimes develop from the connective tissue present in the eye socket. Known as orbital tumors, they are not always malignant.
7. Kaposi's sarcoma
A rare kind of viral cancer which affects a person’s eyes is Kaposi’s sarcoma. People with a weak immunity are more at risk of getting affected by it.
8. Follicular lymphoma
Follicular lymphoma looks like a nodule at first formed on the eyelid or the area surrounding the eye. It can involve the choroid or the adnexa.
9. Optic nerve tumors
Mostly benign, optic nerve tumors can turn malignant at times, causing vision loss.
10. Retinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma is a childhood cancer, and it originates in the retina. Headache, vision problems, vision problems, and redness are retinoblastoma symptoms in adults.
Causes of Eye Cancer
The exact cause of eye cancer is unclear.
Eye cancer happens when healthy cells in any part of the eye begin changing their DNA. When cells are healthy, they grow and keep multiplying at a fixed rate. Old cells also die after a certain point.
On the contrary, if cells are cancerous, the DNA changes are abnormal. These cells grow and multiply extremely fast. While healthy cells with die at their set time, cancer cells will continue to thrive. This leads to too many cells.
When too many cancer cells assemble in one place, they take the shape of a mass, and we call it a tumor. Tumors cannot just grow in size but also invade healthy tissues and destroy them. So, if not detected on time, cancer cells break away and attack other body parts as well. If cancer spreads, it’s termed metastatic cancer.
Eye Cancer Symptoms
There may not be any symptoms or signs of eye cancer in the initial stages. Symptoms begin appearing when the tumor grows in size. As the tumor grows, the eye tissue undergoes changes and there can also be vision changes. Moreover, the signs can sometimes be the same as signs of other eye problems.
You should visit an ophthalmologist if you experience the following symptoms of ocular cancer:
- vision changes due to eye cancer (like loss of vision or blurry vision)
- sudden appearance of a dark spot on an eye (even on the colored part, known as the iris)
- bulging of eyes
- eye pain and swelling
- seeing shadows or flashes of light
- seeing floaters (such as squiggly lines, floating objects, spots)
- when the position of an eye changes in the eye socket
- a lump on the eye surface
- irritation or eye redness that doesn’t reduce
- changes to the shape or size of the pupil, which is the black, round opening you’ll see at the centre of an iris
- losing eyelashes
- a lesion on one of the eyelids that bleeds or hurts and doesn’t heal
- watery eyes
Note: Eye cancer doesn’t generally cause pain unless the cancer cells expand to other areas. So, if you notice something unusual with your eye, don’t neglect it simply because it is painless. Go for an eye examination as the earliest as eye cancer and other eye conditions can be detected during an eye exam.
Eye Cancer Risk Factors
Eye melanoma’s risk factors include:
1. Radiation
Research suggests that UV rays are extremely harmful not just for skin but also eyes. Prolonged exposure to the sun’s rays raises the chances of getting eye melanoma. One thing to keep in mind is that sun is not the only source of UV radiation. One can get exposed to ultraviolet rays while welding or using tanning beds.
2. Light eye shade
Individuals with green or blue eyes look gorgeous but they have a higher risk of eye cancer.
3. Age
Age is another factor. The chances of getting some kind of eye cancer increases as we age.
4. Complexion
People with brown or dark skin are not as prone to getting eye cancer as white people.
5. Genetic changes
DNA changes passed from parents to offsprings can raise the chance of eye melanoma.
Treatment for Eye Cancer
After detecting melanoma in the eye, timely treatment of eye cancer is a must as it can spread to any body part like liver, bones, lungs, etc. So, what are the treatment options?
If a person is affected by cancer, radiation therapy is usually recommended by eye surgeons. Brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy are both equally popular.
If the tumor is small and haven’t spread outside the eyeball, the tumor can be removed through surgical procedures like orbital exenteration, iridectomy, transscleral resection, and enucleation.
If surgical procedure cannot be performed, immunotherapy is an alternative option. Transpupillary thermotherapy, a type of laser therapy, can also destroy uveal cancer cells.
Wrapping Up
That was all about eye cancer, its symptoms, types, and treatment. In case you are wondering how to prevent eye cancer, there is no guaranteed way. Eye cancer may affect anybody. So, the only thing you can do is opt for regular exams for early detection and treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are the early symptoms of eye cancer?
Sudden appearance of a mole, floaters and flashes in vision, watery eyes, irritation, redness, and vision changes are some common eye tumors symptoms.
Q. How is eye cancer diagnosed by doctors?
A routine eye test can detect various types of cancer in the eye – be it the front of your eye or the iris. The instrument used by eye doctors for this is ophthalmoscope.
