“An eye melanoma or an intraocular melanoma is a type of cancerous tumor in the eye," remarked Fairfield County Ophthalmologist Leslie Doctor, M.D. of Doctor & Associates with offices in Norwalk, Westport and Wilton, CT. The part of the eye affected by this rare type of cancer is called the uvea. She further explained, “The uvea is made up of the iris which is the colored part of the front of the eye that surrounds the pupil, the ciliary body which is a muscle that helps the eye focus and makes the fluid that fills the front of the eye and the choroid which is a layer of tissue in the back of the eye, behind the retina. The location of the melanoma in the uvea affects its symptoms and treatment.”
An ocular melanoma happens when cells that produce pigment grow uncontrollably. Pigment produces the coloring of the skin and iris of the eye. What causes the abnormal growth of cells is not known. People with light colored skin and eyes may have a higher chance of developing melanoma than people with darker skin. Rarely, this type of cancer starts in another part of the body and spreads to the eyes. Often melanomas cause no symptoms. Sometimes they may cause painful, red eyes or changes in your vision. A melanoma of the iris may look like a dark spot on the iris. It may block part of your vision. A melanoma on the ciliary body or the choroid may cause blurred vision in on eye or loss of side vision. The tumor is usually found during an eye examination with an ophthalmologist. If a physician sees a tumor, you may have an ultrasound scan to see what kind of tumor it is.
If you have any questions or concerns about your eyes or would like to learn more about eye melanoma or eye cancer conditions please call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County or facebook.com/doctorandassociates.
Doctor & Associates is a leading Fairfield County Connecticut eye care practice providing eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, diagnosis and management of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses and optical services. For those patients in need of eye surgery, as a founding member of the Wilton Surgery Center, Doctor & Associates eye surgeons are able to provide eye surgery in a convenient, close to home and cost effective ambulatory surgery center. Whatever your eye care, eye health or vision correction needs might be-Doctor & Associates can serve as a Connecticut ophthalmic consultant and will be conveniently located for patients from Fairfield County and southern Connecticut including Danbury, Stamford, Greenwich, Westport, Weston, Wilton, New Canaan, Norwalk, Fairfield, Bridgeport, Cannondale, Aspetuck, Redding, Trumbull, Shelton, Monroe, Darien, Glenbrook and Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Doctor & Associates, Fairfield County, Connecticut, Eye Exams and LASIK, Laser Cataract Surgery, Lens Implants, Glaucoma, Eyelid Surgery, Eyeglasses, Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Degeneration.
