Intraocular Melanoma is a cancer in which cancer cells develop at a part in the eye called the uvea. In the uvea, there are iris (the color part of the eye, in which decides the amount of lights entering the eye), the ciliary body (a muscle in the eye that changes the shape of the lens inside the eye so it can focus), and the choroids (a layer of tissue in the back of the eye that makes a picture for the brain). Any part of the uvea (the iris, the ciliary body, and the choroids) can have intraocular Melanoma.
Intraocular Melanoma is a very rare cancer. All kinds of people can receive such cancer, but most is received by people over the age of 50. The defect of DNA causes intraocular Melanoma to occur within the uvea. .
The symptoms differ in different parts of the uvea. If intraocular Melanoma occurs in the iris, the cancer would make the person see black spots. If it occurs in the ciliary body or the choroids, the person would have blurry vision, lowered vision ability, or may have no symptoms before the cancer cells spread to other parts of the eye. If it has spread, then treatments are less possible and have few or no vision abilities. .
Most Melanomas are detectable by routine eye check up; the infected person would have less vision and difference in the way the eyeball acts. Like most early cancers, an early melanoma is usually a silent cancer. The doctors would first stage the disease, and then plan the treatment.
The treatment would be to have surgery (take out the cancer cells), radiation therapy (using high-dose x-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells), or photocoagulation (destroying blood vessels that feed the tumor).
There is no prevention for this cancer; however, it is advised that people stay away from intense sun light and use sunscreen.
