Ocular melanoma is an aggressive type of cancer and it involves either of the three different eye areas i.e. the iris, the posterior uvea or choroid, and the ciliary body. Each of these areas constitutes the uveal tract and ocular melanoma may take place in a combination of the mentioned three areas.(1)
Is Ocular Melanoma A Serious Condition?
Whether the disease of ocular melanoma is serious or not depends on its underlying symptoms, risk factors, and complications. Accordingly-
Symptoms of Ocular Melanoma
A few people suffering from eye melanoma or ocular melanoma do not experience any symptoms at all. Other people experience blurred vision, light flashes or view dark spots in their vision’s field. Especially, you will experience the following major signs and symptoms-
- A presence of a dark spot in one’s iris, which may easily grow
- Eye’s displacement within its socket
- Presence of flashing lights in one’s visual field
- Blurry vision
- Watery eyes
- Peripheral vision loss in the eye of a person
Other than this, some people also experience floaters, which refer to squiggles or specks moving around in the visual field of a person. A person may see floater clearly when they look at a blank wall or any other similar type of plain background. Also, floaters may appear in the form of clouds, lines, circles, tiny dots or cobwebs. In rare cases, pain across or in the eyes maybe a few of the common symptoms related to eye melanoma.(2)
Risk Factors Related To Ocular Melanoma
Your chance to develop the problem of eye melanoma increases based on the following major factors-
Exposure To Ultraviolet Rays: Exposure to ultraviolet light rays may increase your risk to suffer from a conjunctival type of ocular melanoma, which takes place on the eye surface.
Eye Color: People with green or blue eyes remain at a relatively higher risk to develop ocular melanoma than the ones with brown eyes.
Ethnicity: According to the factor of ethnicity, eye melanoma problem likely develops in white people as compared to the black ones.
Dysplastic Nevus Syndrome: According to this syndrome, a person may develop atypical moles referred to as dysplastic nevi, which are somewhat different from the ordinary moles. Dysplastic nevi possess irregular borders and may even have different colors while appearing in the form of clusters. Atypical moles or nevi often develop into a malignant form of ocular melanoma as compared to regular moles.(3)
Can Ocular Melanoma Be Reversed?
Whether an ocular melanoma patient may reverse his/her conditions or underlying symptoms depend on whether he/she leaves it untreated or not.
Complications Of Ocular Melanoma: If you leave your ocular melanoma untreated, you may experience many irreversible complications, about which we have discussed here-
Vision Loss: Vision loss is a severe complication associated with untreated ocular melanoma. As the melanoma grows large, it may result in the loss of vision in your affected eye. Furthermore, depending on the specific location, the problem creates difficulty with peripheral/side or central vision. Excluding this, the most advanced and the largest type of melanoma may result in complete vision loss.
Elevated Form Of Intraocular Pressure: A major complication associated with ocular melanoma is the increase in the eye’s intraocular pressure. The balance between the produced and circulated fluid within the eye and the fluid exits from the eye may be thrown off. The disbalance thus leads to the pressure buildup within the eye and in turn, the eye spikes. Eye specialists refer to this condition like glaucoma. The optical nerve responsible to carry information to the brain from eyes often remains vulnerable to cause damages because of glaucoma.
Moreover, a few of the glaucoma cases develop depend on their specific types at a gradual level with time. On the other side, a few other types of glaucoma come at a quick rate and in an acute manner. Doctors refer to these types of glaucoma as angle-closure types of glaucoma and they cause redness and eye pain. If you leave the problem untreated, glaucoma may result in irreversible vision loss. However, eye specialists detect the problem of elevated intraocular pressure at an early stage, you may avoid many complications.
Retinal Detachment: Ocular melanoma may sometimes lead to retinal detachment i.e. an eye condition, where various light-sensitive tissue lines present at the back area of one’s eye peeled away from the regular position. The reason for this is that melanoma leaks the eye fluid below its retina and the respective fluid causes retinal detachment from the eye’s back wall.(4)
Also Read:
- Is Ocular Melanoma Fatal & How Aggressive Is It?
- What Does Ocular Melanoma Look Like & Who Is Most Likely To Get It?
- What Is The Survival Rate For Ocular Melanoma?
- Eye Exercises/Yoga For Ocular Melanoma
- Home Remedies For Ocular Melanoma
- Where Does Ocular Melanoma Metastasize To & How Long Does It Take For Melanoma To Metastasis?
- Is Ocular Melanoma A Progressive Disease & Alternative Treatments For It?
