Definition:
Intraocular melanoma, a rare cancer, is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the area of the eye called the uvea.
Diagnosis:
One of the difficulties in diagnosing small melanomas is that it can be very hard to differentiate a small malignant melanoma from a benign pigmented tumor, such as an iris or choroidal nevus. At present there is no definitive test that clearly distinguishes a nevus from a small malignant melanoma. Even with special biopsy techniques, such as fine needle aspiration of the lesion, it can be very hard to differentiate a benign nevus from a malignant melanoma.
Treatment:
Treatment designed to destroy a melanoma usually will cause some loss of vision, even though every effort is made to preserve vision. But since cancers of the eye can be fatal, in some cases treatment will be needed even if it means loss of vision or loss of your eye.
Symptoms and Signs:
Most melanomas of the iris, ciliary or choroid are primarily completely asymptomatic. As the tumor grows, the tumor may cause distortion of the pupil (iris melanoma), blurred vision (ciliary body melanoma) or markedly decreased visual acuity from a secondary retinal detachment caused by a choroidal melanoma.
Causes:
The exact cause of eye melanoma isn't known; however, it's not generally inherited. In recent years, scientists have developed a better understanding about the role that DNA plays in causing cells to turn cancerous.
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