Eye Cancers

A rare disease, eye cancer is typically a secondary cancer that spread from other parts of the body. Primary intraocular cancers eye cancers that start in the eyeball are actually less common than secondary intraocular cancers. Eye cancer in general is uncommon in your lifetime, you have a 1 in 1,215 chance of being diagnosed with an eye cancer. Melanoma of the eye is the most common primary intraocular cancer in adults, caused when the cells that produce pigmentation grow abnormally. Children are most often affected by retinoblastoma, an eye cancer that begins in the back of our eye called the retina. While most risk factors for eye cancers are not fully understood, researchers believe that too much sun exposure may contribute to developing this cancer. Yearly eye exams may help catch the cancer early. See an ophthalmologist, a medical doctor who specializes in eye diseases, if you notice a dark spot on your iris, the colored part of your eye.