INTRAOCULAR TUMORS

What are intraocular tumours?

Ocular tumours can appear on the eyelids, in the eye (conjunctiva, choroid or retina) and in the orbit (cavity that houses the eyeball). A retinologist treats tumours located in the choroid or retina (intraocular).

The tumours can come from the eye or metastatic (they come from another point of the organism). Among the first, the most frequent in childhood are retinoblastomas and in adulthood melanomas. Among the metastases, the most frequent are breast cancer in women and lung cancer in men.

Sometimes tumours in other parts of the body, such as cutaneous melanomas or lung cancer, may develop retinal lesions of an immunological nature. They are what we call Paraneoplastic Syndromes.

Image of a metastasis

 

Image of a vascular tumour (Cavernous Haemangioma)

Symptoms

Retinoblastomas usually occur in children under two years of age, hence the importance of ophthalmological examinations at an early age. In these cases, the sign of onset may be leukocoria (white reflection in the pupil).

In adults, it depends on the location of the tumour. If it affects the macula (centre of the retina), it can be accompanied by loss of vision. If the location is peripheral, it can go unnoticed, so it is important to keep routine checks by an ophthalmologist.

Treatment

The retinologist will decide the specific treatment for each type of tumour.