May is Melanoma Awareness month, and though primarily known as a disease of the skin, your eyes can also develop melanoma. Protection and early detection are essential for continued good health.
Melanoma is a type of cancer that develops in the body’s cells that produce melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color. Optometrist Lauren Schwalb from the Clarion Optometry Group in Yucca Valley, said, “Your eyes also have melanin=producing cells…”
Eye melanoma most often affects the middle layer of your eye, including the iris, the muscle fibers around your eye’s lens, and the layer of blood vessels that line the back of your eye. In addition, most eye melanomas form in the part of the eye you can’t see when looking in a mirror, making eye melanoma difficult to detect without a comprehensive eye exam. Sun protection and annual comprehensive eye exams are critical. Symptoms can include flashes, floaters, growing pigment on the iris, pupil size and shape changes, blurry vision, or loss of side vision. Treatment for some small eye melanomas may not interfere with your vision, but therapy for larger conditions typically causes some vision loss. Sun protection and annual comprehensive eye exams are critical.
