Let’s break the eye down into two main areas – outside and inside.  Tumors on the outside of the eye are more common than those on the inside, and tend to be less severe and less life-threatening.  Starting at the front, the eyelids are a common area for various types of skin cancers.  The most common malignant eyelid tumor is basal cell carcinoma.  While this type of cancer can do a lot of damage to the eyelids and face, it does not generally spread and attack other areas of the body.  So as long as it is treated quickly enough, the prognosis is actually very good.  The other types of eyelid tumors are named by location.  Some start in the surface layers of the skin, some in the pigment, and others deeper in the glands.  You’ve probably heard of malignant melanomas.  These typically occur elsewhere on the skin, but they can occur on the eyelids.  They are the most dangerous skin tumors, but fortunately are rare around the eyes.  Dermatologists and family doctors deal with skin cancers much more than eye doctors, but when the cancer is near the eye – they often refer you to an eye doctor to have that removed.  As is always the case, the earlier these are detected, the better the outcome.

 

Inside of the eye, malignant tumors are pretty rare, but they are life-threatening when they do arise.  Because our eyes are rarely at rest, they require huge amounts of nutrition to keep you seeing.  For this reason, the eye has lots of blood vessels and lots of blood running through it.  With that much blood flow, cancers can travel into or out of the eye very quickly.  So when cancer is detected inside of the eye, it must be treated immediately.  Tumors in the eye can be treated by cutting them out or by radiation, depending on which part of the eye they develop.  In some cases, if the cancer is not easily accessible, the entire eye has to be removed.  

 

So what can you do about this?  Certainly, if you have any lump or bump that doesn’t seem right, make sure you get that checked out.  Ask your family doctor, dermatologist, or if it’s around your eye…ask your eye doctor.  It’s not worth waiting.  Things to be on the lookout for:  if it’s growing quickly, changes in size, shape, or color, or if it has irregular edges.  If it needs to be removed, obviously you would like to do that while it’s as small as possible.  

 

To detect tumors inside the eye, you need routine dilated eye examinations.  This is the only way to detect cancer before it causes you trouble.  Moral here, don’t forget your eye exams – they’re much more than just a glasses check.  They may feel like a waste of time to you…but that’s a good thing (because hopefully you’ve got nothing wrong).  Lastly, if you’ve got a lump or bump, get it checked before it gets too big.  Remember, the bigger the bump, the bigger the scar.    

 

Troy D. Bornhorst, O.D., M.S.
Cleveland Eye Clinic - (800) 875-0300
www.clevelandeyeclinic.com