Eye cancers are tumours that grow in the eye area. Like other tumours, an eye tumour is a collection of cells that develop abnormally in the eye area, either in the surface like eyelids or superficial coatings like conjunctiva or within eye tissue or in the orbit. It can either be malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous) in nature.
In most cases, these tumours are benign but over time these tumours grow large and cause major eye problems due to the compression of structures in the eye region. Tumours in the eye are either primary tumours that originate in the eye or secondary tumours that are usually caused by the cancers cells that are spread from other parts of the body like the breast, lung, intestine, etc.
Retinoblastoma in children and melanoma in adults are examples of primary tumours of the eye. Eye cancer is a silent disease that does not cause any early symptoms like pain.
Hence it is very important to look out for signs like blurring in vision, double vision, witnessing bright flashes of light, sensitivity to light, the difference in the size of eyeballs, drooping of lids, swelling, or bulging of the eyeball, etc. Watching out for these signs initially will help in the detection of cancer in the early stages.
Regular eye checkup helps in detecting any eye disease including eye cancer. Some tests to detect eye cancer are:
Vision examination
Slit-lamp examination
Fundoscopy
Ultrasound of the eye
Optical coherence tomography (OCT)
Visual field analysis
Skin or tissue biopsy
Risk Factors for Eye Cancer
EYE COLOUR: Uveal melanoma is usually found in the light-coloured eye for people with darker eyeshade.
GENDER AND AGE: Older people are at a higher risk of developing eye cancer and it’s commonly found in men than women.
FAMILY HISTORY: If an individual has a medical history of uveal melanomas then the person has an increased risk of developing the disease.
UNPROVEN RISK FACTORS: Exposure to sun, skin melanoma and other occupations that are hazardous.
CERTAIN INHERITED CONDITIONS: People suffering from certain conditions like BAP1, dysplastic
nevus syndrome, and oculodermal melanocytotic may be at a higher risk of developing eye cancer.
Metastatic or secondary tumours are more incidental than primary tumours. So, any individual who has been treated for cancer should suspect a recurrence if they face any ocular disturbance and immediately get evaluated. There are instances where metastasis of breast or skin cancer appear in the eye region, years after the primary has been treated.
Hence giving this history to your ophthalmologist is very important. Retinoblastoma, which is life-threatening cancer among children, usually appears as a white reflex in the pupillary area of the infant and needs immediate attention and treatment to save a life. Early detection and intervention ensure better outcomes in every disease of the body including ocular tumours.
(The writer is consultant comprehensive ophthalmologist, HCG Cancer Hospital Bengaluru)