What causes eye cancer?
Eye cancer is a general term used to describe the types of cancer that can develop on or within the eye. When people speak of this cancer, they are usually referring to uveal melanoma, the most common type of eye cancer found within the adult eye. In children the most common type of cancer within the eye is retinoblastoma. However, cancers can also occur on the surface of the eye as well as in the eye socket.
Symptoms of 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
- Blurred vision
- Partial or total loss of vision
- Bulging of one eye
- A lump or dark patch on the surface of your eye that’s getting bigger
- A lump or spot on your eyelid that’s increasing in size
These symptoms are more commonly caused by variety of other eye conditions, so they’re not at all necessarily a sign of cancer. However, it’s important to get the symptoms checked by an optometrist or eye doctor as soon as possible.
What to Do If You have any of these symptoms?
If experiencing any changes in your eye and/or vision, you should see your optician so that he/she can perform an eye examination. If there are any concerns, your optician may refer you to Dr. Vikas Chadha, a specialist ophthalmologist and experienced eye surgeon. He is one of only two Consultant ocular oncologists in Scotland and eight in the entire UK. Along with his colleague, he runs the Scottish Ocular Oncology Service.
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