Eye Cancer Diagnosis

The American Cancer Society estimates 2,350 new cases of eye cancer in the United States in 2009. Eye cancer starts in the middle layers of the eye. Patients with eye cancer may or may not experience certain symptoms.

Function of Tests

• Eye cancer cannot be formally diagnosed without certain tests, even with symptoms.

Possible Symptoms

• Symptoms may include loss of vision, bulging of the eye, floaters or flashes of light, and a change in the position of the eye within or the way it moves within the socket.

Types of Tests

• One test to look for eye cancer is an eye exam with a dilated pupil where the eye doctor examines the inside of the eye. An indirect ophthalmoscopy uses a magnifying lens and a light. An ultrasound using echoes from sound waves to create a sonogram picture of the eye may also be performed.

Other Tests

• Other tests to diagnose eye cancer are a transillumination (putting a light on the lid to check the iris, cornea, lens and ciliary body) and a fluorescein angiography (injecting fluorescent dye into the bloodstream to monitor blood flow to the eye).

Solution

• After diagnosis, treatment is based on several factors, including size of the tumor, the patient's age and whether the cancer has spread.