Ocular cancer is a malignant disease, which starts and develops in the eyes (ocular melanoma).
The most common type of ocular cancer is the melanoma, also called ocular melanoma. Melanoma is a type of cancer which develops in the cells responsible for pigment formation. Even if it is the most common type of ocular cancer in adults, ocular melanoma is a rarity.
Ocular melanoma is also known as uveal melanoma, as it usually develops in the inside of the eye. The melanoma almost always develops on the pigmented layer of the mucous membrane of the eye. A smaller number of melanomas develop in the iris. Melanoma in the iris usually grows slowly and doesn’t spread to other parts of the body too often.
Primary intraocular lymphoma
Primary intraocular lymphoma (ocular lymphoma) is a type of cancer which affects the white blood cells or lymphocytes in the organism, that can be found all over the body. Lymphoma can start from organs such as the lungs, stomach and rarely – the eyes.
The two main types of lymphoma are Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Most people who suffer from intraocular lymphoma are of advanced age or have diseases that harm the immune system such as AIDS. Primary intraocular lymphoma often goes together with brain lymphoma, called primary lymphoma of the central nervous system (PCNSL).
Retinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma affects young children. It is caused by a genetic mutation which starts in the retina. Nerve cells start growing and multiplying, after which they usually spread in the eye and other parts of the body.
Other types of cancer can also affect the eyes. Orbital cancer affects tissues surrounding the eye including the muscles that move the eye and the nerves attached to it.