Melanoma, A Rare Form Of Cancer Can Be Treated With Laser Therapy
Mike Samogala went to the doctor for eye treatment. Only there he came to know that he was suffering from a rare form of cancer known as melanoma in the eye. The surgeons told to remove his eye to save his life.
This is the most common type of cancer that develops within the eyeball in adults. Approximately 90 percent of eye melanomas develop in the choroid, which is a thin, pigmented layer lining the eyeball that nourishes the retina and the front of the eye with blood. The disease is also known as uveal melanoma. The American Cancer Society reports that the disease effects nearly 2,400 Americans annually and 240 people will die from it this year.
Location of the tumor within the eye determines the degree of visual loss from the surgery. Laser therapy is a vast improvement over surgical removal of the eye and radiation treatments.
In most cases, eye melanomas develop in the choroid, which is a thin, pigmented layer lining the eyeball that nourishes the retina and the front of the eye with blood. Symptoms include; floaters or flashes of light; visual field loss; a growing dark spot on the iris. Primary eye cancers can occur at any age, but most cases occur in people over age 50.
Dr. Frederick Davidorf, an ophthalmologist at Ohio State's Medical Center says,
"if the tumor is discovered when it is small, it may be treated without removal of the eye. If the tumor is relatively thin, it can be destroyed with laser surgery."
Source: Emax Health
Filed under Eye Diseases, Eye Surgery, Melanoma
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