Melanoma is a very aggressive type of cancer that can spread rapidly. In the US, it occurs in about 6 people per million per year. Excessive exposure to sunlight is an important risk factor and the occurrence of melanoma has greatly increased in recent decades. Fair-skinned and blue-eyed people are affected most often.

The eye can be the primary site of the tumor, or the cancer may have spread to the eye from another location in the body. There may be no early symptoms, but the tumor will eventually cause a retinal detachment and distortion of vision.

Melanoma is the most common type of eye tumor in adults. Even so, primary melanoma of the eye is rare.

• A red, painful eye
• Small defect on the iris or conjunctiva
• Iris color may change
• Poor vision in one eye
• Bulging eyes

• Eye ultrasound examination
• Cranial CT scan to look for spread (metastasis) to the brain
• MRI of the head to look for metastasis to the brain
• Skin biopsy if there is an affected area on the skin

The outcome for melanoma of the eye depends upon the size of the cancer at the time of diagnosis. Between 60% and 80% of patients will survive at least 5 years from the time of diagnosis if the cancer has not spread outside the eye (metastasized).

If there has been spread outside the eye, the chance of survival is much lower.