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The Increasing Worries Of Eye Cancer: Everything You Need To Know

April 10, 2023

People are least worried about their eyes, which can cause serious problems if not cared for properly. One of the deadliest disorders that can affect our vision is eye cancer, often known as ocular cancer. Even though it’s uncommon, eye cancer can sometimes be fatal and risk someone’s vision.

Eye cancer is uncommon; therefore, there isn’t much information available about it, and most of us often overlook its symptoms and risk factors. However, even though thousands of cases of eye cancer are recorded each year in India, there is still a greater demand for effective and efficient eye cancer treatment.

What do you understand about "eye cancer”?

Eye cancer begins when cells grow out of control and form a tumor and it includes several uncommon tumors that start in your eye, including your eyeball and the tissues around your eyeball. Eye tumors can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous), causing malignancy to spread throughout your body.

Any of the eye’s structures are susceptible to eye cancer. Primary intraocular cancers are those that begin in the eye, and secondary intraocular cancers are those that develop as a result of the spread of cancer from any other part of the body to your eye.

Where do the eye cancers start?

Different types of cancer start in any of the below 3 major parts of the eye:

  • The eyeball: includes the three main layers – the sclera, the uvea, and the retina
  • The orbit: the tissues surrounding the eyeball
  • The adnexal (accessory) structures: include the eyelids and tear glands

What are the different types of eye cancer?

Based on the cancer’s origin, where it develops in the eye, and the types of cells involved, healthcare providers classify eye cancers as:

Intraocular melanomas: they develop from melanocytes. Melanomas are the most common eye cancers. They consist of:

  • Iris melanoma
  • Choroidal melanoma
  • Ciliary body melanoma

Eyelid and orbital cancer: they develop form the tissues close to the eyeball. They consist of:

  • Basal cell carcinoma
  • Rhabdomyosarcoma
  • Squamous cell carcinoma
  • Retinoblastoma: they develop in the retina of your eye.
  • Intraocular lymphoma: they develop in white blood cells called lymphocytes.

What causes an eye cancer?

Though the precise causes of eye cancer are unknown, it is said that the retinoblastoma or ocular cancer risk can be increased by a number of hereditary and environmental factors. The likelihood of developing eye cancer might rise as a result of a number of factors, which include:

  • Age
  • Occupation
  • Family history
  • Color of the eye
  • Underlying diseases
  • Moles in the eye
  • Brown patches on the eye
  • Exposure to UV Rays

What symptoms are indicative of eye cancer?

Lots of individuals with eye cancer may remain asymptomatic until the tumor has progressed further.

The following are signs and symptoms that should be reported to a healthcare professional:

  • Flashes of light or floaters
  • A sudden loss of eyesight or blurry vision
  • Protrusion of the eye
  • Alteration in the eye movement
  • Loss of visual field
  • An increasing dark spot on the iris , conjunctiva or sclera
  • Alteration in shape or size of the pupil
  • Alteration in position of the eyeball

Unless the tumor is large, eye cancer rarely hurts. These signs may be associated with different conditions and are not always a sign of cancer.

What are the risk factors associated with eye cancer?

Some risk factors include:

  • Eye color
  • Older age
  • Race
  • Family history
  • UV exposure
  • Eye area moles or freckles
  • Certain inherited conditions

How do you get your eye cancer diagnosed?

Eye cancer is identified by an eye oncologist or an eye specialist. Before making a cancer diagnosis, they may perform a number of procedures to rule out other, more prevalent eye disorders.

Eye exam: During an eye exam, a healthcare professional closely inspects your eye to look for indications of cancer. To get a clearer view of the structures in your eye, they could employ special equipment.

  • Slit lamp
  • Ophthalmoscope

Imaging: The outcomes of imaging procedures plus the information from your eye exam are frequently sufficient to make the diagnosis of eye cancer. Common imaging techniques include:

  • Ultrasound
  • Fluorescein angiography

If your healthcare professional thinks the cancer has spread, you could require more imaging tests. Imaging procedures that can detect the spread of cancer outside the eye include:

  • Ultrasound.
  • CT scan.
  • MRI.
  • PET scan.
  • Chest X-ray.

Biopsy: A healthcare professional performs a biopsy by taking a sample of tissue from the tumor and testing it for cancer cells.

  • Incisional biopsy
  • Excisional biopsy
  • Fine needle aspiration biopsy

How can your eye cancer be treated?

Your doctor may advise keeping an eye on your condition and delaying treatment if the tumor is slow-growing or the diagnosis is uncertain, particularly if the treatment risks outweigh the potential advantages. For instance, if treating a certain location could result in visual loss, you might wish to delay treatment.

Radiation therapy: It is one of the most common treatments for eye cancer.

  • Brachytherapy
  • External beam radiation therapy

Surgery: If the tumor is small and hasn’t spread beyond the eyeball, then surgery is the most recommended treatment option. It includes:

  • Enucleation
  • Iridectomy
  • Orbital exenteration
  • Iridocyclectomy
  • Transscleral resection

Laser therapy: It uses heat to destroy eye cancer.

Immunotherapy: This treatment helps your immune system identify and destroy cancer cells.

Targeted therapy: these medicines target specific weaknesses in the cancer cells and destroy them.

Chemotherapy: if your cancer hasn’t responded to other treatments or if it spreads to other areas, your healthcare provider may recommend it.

What is so unique about the Ojas – Eye Hospital in Mumbai?

Eye cancer can start in any of the structures of the eye. Knowing the signs and symptoms of eye cancer will help people seek prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Any of the eye’s structures can become the site of eye cancer, and people can seek a quick diagnosis and treatment if they are aware of the symptoms and indicators of eye cancer.

There are several forms of treatment options available with the goal of preserving the eyesight and avoiding the spread of the malignancy to other body organs.

In particular, for people with a family history of cancer, a thorough examination can be provided by an eye specialist at the Ojas – Eye Hospital in Mumbai. Also, a full-time eye oncologist collaborates with other medical experts to identify and treat eye cancer. We can assist you with both the diagnosis and treatment of your eye cancer. We will develop a personalized treatment plan for you that includes everything from drugs to surgery and recovery.

The prognosis for eye cancer is good, especially if it is detected early.

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