About Eye Cancer

Eye cancer refers to cancers that start in and around the eye. This includes growths within parts of the eyeball itself, as well as small tumors forming in the eyelids and tear glands. In general, eye cancer is a relatively rare type of cancer disease. Cancer cells forming in the eyeball are referred to as intraocular. The most common form of primary intraocular cancer is melanoma, a cancer that develops in the cells that create melanin. Most of these melanomas occur in areas that you cannot see when you look in the mirror, making eye cancer difficult to detect on your own without an eye examination by an eye doctor. When melanomas do form in the eye, it’s known as ocular melanoma, or to be more specific, uveal melanoma. Ocular melanoma is the most common primary eye cancer in adults, with about 2,500 adults being diagnosed with this form of eye cancer every year in the United States. Retinoblastoma is an eye cancer that usually affects young children at the age of 5. But this rare type of cancer can be treated when detected in early stages. Other forms of eye cancer include hemangioma, intraocular lymphoma, and eyelid carcinoma.

Causes and Risk Factors

Eye cancer is caused by a genetic mutation that causes cells within structures of the eye to grow and multiply out of control, forming tissue tumor growth. The exact cause of this genetic mutation is not known. There may be a hereditary factor as intraocular melanoma may run in the family, but this is rare.

Risk factors of eye cancer also vary. Those with a lighter eye color, like blue or green, have a higher risk of developing an eye melanoma. Certain inherited skin disorders, particularly a condition that causes abnormal moles known as dysplastic nevus syndrome, may contribute to an increased risk of developing eye cancer. Similar to skin cancer, exposure to UV light may increase your risk of eye melanoma, but the exact relationship still remains unclear.

Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Staging

People with eye cancer often exhibit no obvious symptoms. Due to the lack of obvious symptoms, eye cancer is most often found by an ophthalmologist during a regular eye exam. The most common symptom is a painless loss of vision. Other common signs and symptoms include:

• Sudden difficulty seeing
• Losing part of your field of vision
• Loss of peripheral vision
• Seeing flashes of light or specks of dust or spots in your vision
• A dark spot on your iris

Diagnosing eye cancer often starts with a basic eye exam, which involves looking at the outside of your eye and identifying any enlarged blood vessels that may indicate ocular tumors. The eye doctor may also use an eye ultrasound test along with other eye examination imaging tests to diagnose and determine the severity of the cancer. Oncologists may also take a sample of eye tissue for biopsy, but this usually isn’t necessary for eye cancers.

Once the patient has been diagnosed, they will continue to staging, which involves determining if the cancer has become metastatic and whether it is affecting other parts of the body. Staging plays an important role in determining eye cancer treatment options. Similar to other cancers, eye cancer is staged based on a scale from 0 to IV, with IV suggesting the cancer has become metastatic and spread to other areas.

Alternative and Natural Treatments for Eye Cancer

A smaller eye malignant melanoma may not require treatment, while larger eye tumor growths can be treated with radiation therapy, chemotherapy, transpupillary thermotherapy, photodynamic therapy, or surgery to remove part of the eye. While these may be effective, they can leave you physically tired and wear out your immune system, preventing you from fully fighting off the cancer.

This is where alternative therapy and holistic treatments can come into play, offering effective means of treating your eye cancer while maintaining your comfort. At Immunity Therapy Center, our team offers safe and natural eye cancer alternative treatment options that are fully customized to your individual health needs. Our goal is to create a comfortable healing experience with our peaceful facilities and dedication to building working relationships with every single cancer patient. To learn more or to receive a custom treatment plan, contact us today.

Sources:

• https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/eye-cancer/overview
• http://www.ocularmelanoma.org/disease.htm
• https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/retinoblastoma

Medically Reviewed by:Dr. Bautista

November 16, 2019

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Dr. Carlos Bautista is a Board Certified Medical Doctor. He received his Medical Degree from Universidad Autónoma de Baja California and has more than 20 years of experience working with Alternative Medicine to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases, chronic degenerative diseases, and infectious diseases. He opened Immunity Therapy Center in 2007 with the goal of providing the highest quality medical care for more than 5,000 patients.

At Immunity Therapy Center, our goal is to provide objective, updated, and research-based information on all health-related topics. This article is based on scientific research and/or other scientific articles. All information has been fact-checked and reviewed by Dr. Carlos Bautista, a Board Certified Medical Doctor at Immunity Therapy Center. All information published on the site must undergo an extensive review process to ensure accuracy. This article contains trusted sources with all references hyperlinked for the reader's visibility.