Uveal melanoma is a type of cancer that develops in the middle layer of your eye called the uvea. It can cause symptoms like blurry vision, floaters, or loss of vision.
Melanoma is a type of cancer that grows in cells called melanocytes that give your skin and tissues their pigment.
Uveal melanoma develops in the melanocytes in your eye’s uvea. The uvea is a layer of tissue that consists of the:
- ciliary body, a ring of muscle that changes the shape of your vision lens
- choroid, which contains blood vessels
- iris, the colored part of your eye
The outlook for uveal melanoma is often best when the cancer starts in your iris. This is because tumors in this location are often identified and treated early.
Uveal melanoma that is diagnosed before it spreads to other tissues and body parts responds well to treatment. However, the outlook tends to worsen if the cancer spreads to your liver or other organs.
Eye melanoma is an extremely rare cancer, but it’s the most common type of primary eye cancer in adults. Primary eye cancer means it starts in your eye instead of spreading from other tissues to the eye.
Eye melanoma develops in about 1 in 200,000 adults. It’s much less common than skin melanoma, which is the
Melanoma that starts in your uvea is called uveal melanoma. Uveal melanoma starts in the choroid in about
Eye melanoma can also start in the thin, clear layer that covers your eye white, called the conjunctiva. Melanoma that starts here is called conjunctival melanoma.
About 30% of people with uveal melanoma don’t have any symptoms in the early stages. When symptoms do appear, they often include:
- blurry vision
- double vision
- distorted vision
- some level of vision loss
- seeing flashing lights
- eye irritation or pain
- feeling like something is in your eye
- eye redness
- bulging eye
- change in pupil shape (the pupil is the opening in the center of the iris)
- increased pressure in the eye
The signs and symptoms you develop can depend on the size of the melanoma tumor and where it’s located. For example, people with melanoma on the iris may develop a growing dark spot.
It’s important to see an eye doctor any time you notice changes in your vision. The doctor may order many tests to determine the cause of your symptoms. If they suspect cancer, you may go through diagnostics tests such as:
- slit lamp biomicroscopy
- indirect ophthalmoscopy
- ocular ultrasound
- fluorescein angiography
- fundus photography
- optical coherence tomography (OCT)
- fine needle aspiration biopsy
- MRI
Like most cancers, the exact cause of uveal melanoma isn’t fully understood, but a combination of factors likely plays a role. Identified risk factors of uveal melanoma include:
- light-colored eyes and fair skin
- dysplastic nevus syndrome (atypical mole syndrome)
- atypical or common cutaneous nevi (unusual moles or eye freckles)
- family history of BAP1 cancer predisposition syndrome
- age (most cases are diagnosed in people ages 60 and older)
It’s not clear if ultraviolet (UV) light exposure increases the risk of uveal melanoma. If it does, its role is thought to be less significant than for skin melanoma.
According to research, about
No cure has been found for cancer. However, doctors consider cancer cured if you go into complete remission for 5 years. Remission means that you no longer have symptoms of the disease.
Many people who receive treatment for uveal melanoma achieve complete remission, especially if their cancer has not spread to other tissues.
The most common treatments for uveal melanoma include:
- conservative management, meaning the cancer is closely monitored without delivering any particular treatment
- radiation therapy
- laser therapies such as:
- transpupillary thermotherapy
- laser photocoagulation
- surgery, which might involve removing the tumor or the eye
- immunotherapy drugs like tebentafusp-tebn or darovasertib for people with metastatic cancer
Can you prevent uveal melanoma?
Many of the risk factors of uveal melanoma, like family history, cannot be managed or prevented.
It’s not clear if UV light exposure is linked to an increased risk of uveal melanoma, but it’s still a good idea to UV protection for your eyes when out in the sun to support your overall eye health.
Uveal melanoma has the best outlook when it’s diagnosed and treated before it spreads.
Doctors often use 5-year relative survival rates for reporting cancer survival. This statistic is a measure of how many people with a certain cancer are alive 5 years after receiving their diagnoses compared to people without that cancer.
The 5-year relative
| Stage | 5-year relative survival rate |
|---|---|
| Localized (no spread) | 85% |
| Regional (spread to nearby tissues) | 67% |
| Distant (spread to distant tissues) | 16% |
| All stages combined | 81% |
As many as 50% of people with eye melanoma experience spread to distant organs. This is called metastatic melanoma.
About 80% of metastatic eye melanomas spread to the liver, which typically worsens the outlook. Other areas it can spread to include your:
- lungs
- skin
- soft tissues
- bone
The spread to these locations can occur 2 to 3 years after the initial diagnosis or as late as decades after.
The outlook for uvea melanoma is usually best when the tumor develops in your iris. Melanoma in the iris
Uveal melanoma is the most common primary eye cancer in adults. It develops in pigmented cells in the middle layer of your eye called the uvea.
Early diagnosis and treatment improve the outlook for uveal melanoma. Melanoma that starts in the iris usually has a better outlook than cancer that starts in other parts of the eye.
Consider visiting an eye doctor periodically, especially if you notice changes to your vision or symptoms like blurry or distorted vision.