What Eye Cancer Looks Like & Questions To Ask Your Doctor
The health of our eyes are very important. In fact, it is one of the most important parts of our body. Poor eyesight could not only cause danger to you, but it could also put everyone else around you in danger too, especially if you can’t see as effectively as you should be able to. With that being said, over the years, more and more people have benefitted from deciding to visit this site to inquire about receiving eye surgery that can better improve their vision. As such, you will be able to experience everything that goes on around you because you have sufficient eyesight.
But what happens when something could seriously affect your eyes, as well as your overall health and wellness. An eye cancer diagnosis is an overwhelming experience, especially if you don’t know much about the types of eye cancer and where or how eye cancer develops. Here is an eye cancer overview plus resources reviewed and approved by our medical and survivor advisory boards.
If You Have Eye Cancer
Source: cancer.org
What is eye cancer?
Eye cancer is a cancer that starts in the eye. Cancer starts when cells begin to grow out of control. (To learn about how cancers start and spread, see What Is Cancer?)
Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body. Cancer cells in the eye can sometimes travel to the liver and grow there. When cancer cells do this, it’s called metastasis.
Cancer is always named for the place where it starts. So when eye cancer spreads to the liver (or any other place), it’s still called eye cancer.
Are there different kinds of eye cancer?
There are many different kinds of eye cancers, but the most common type of eye cancer is primary intraocular melanoma. “Primary” means the cancer started in the eye instead of spreading there from somewhere else. “Intraocular” means the cancer started inside the eyeball instead of in the muscle, nerves, or skin around the eye. “Melanoma” means the cancer started in a kind of cell called a melanocyte.
Primary intraocular melanoma usually starts in the middle layer of the eye, called the uvea. This is called uveal melanoma. Melanoma can also start in other places of the eye, like the conjunctiva, which is a thin clear covering over the white part of the eye. This is called conjunctival melanoma.
Your doctor can tell you more about the kind of eye cancer you have.
Questions to ask the doctor
- Why do you think I have cancer?
- Is there a chance I don’t have cancer?
- Would you please write down the kind of eye cancer you think I might have?
- What part of my eye is the cancer in?
- What will happen next?
How does the doctor know I have eye cancer?
Some signs of eye cancer are vision changes (things look blurry or you suddenly can’t see), floaters (seeing spots or squiggles), flashes of light, a growing dark spot on the iris, change in the size or shape of the pupil, and eye redness or swelling.
The doctor will ask you questions about your health and do an eye exam. You do not have to confirm that it’s eye cancer until your doctor conducts an eye exam and rules out the symptoms. In some cases, you may just require LASIK eye surgery (refer to LASIK in Portland Oregon, for more information) or similar corrective vision surgery. It needn’t be cancer every time. Therefore, if necessary, you may be asked to see an ophthalmologist who can perform a more detailed eye examination.
Eye Cancer Resources
If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with eye cancer, please take a moment to visit our Eye Cancer Resource Library. Our Advisory Boards have put together a list of resources to help you advocate for yourself at this time, including more questions to ask your oncologist,
- Start Here Guide
- All Eye Cancer Resources for patients and caregivers