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Cancer of the Eye

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Cancer is scary. When you or your loved one is diagnosed, you need information, and you need the best physicians in the Kansas City area. Sabates Eye Centers provides both.

Sabates Eye Centers’ Approach to Ocular Oncology

Our ophthalmologists give you and your family all the information and support you need while you learn about the disease, its symptoms and the treatments available. Our ocular oncology (eye cancer) specialists take a multidisciplinary approach to adult and childhood tumors inside or on the eye, the eyelid or lacrimal glands. 

Our oncology doctors are among the most prestigious physicians in the field to treat choroidal melanoma, retinoblastoma, lymphoma and other cancers, surgically or with proven treatments. From brachytherapy using localized radiation to cryotherapy to intra-arterial chemotherapy for our pediatric patients, we handle it all using cutting-edge technology. 

Risk Factors and Symptoms 

Risk factors for ocular melanoma are similar to the risk factors for skin melanoma: light eye color, moles, excessive sun exposure and exposure to UV radiation. For other kinds of ocular cancer, autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis or HIV are risk factors.

What are the symptoms of eye cancer?

  • Blurring of vision
  • Flashes or floaters
  • Full or partial loss of vision
  • Peripheral vision loss (known as blinkering or tunnel vision)
  • Pain in or around the eye
  • Change in appearance of the affected eye including redness or bulging.

Types of Intraocular Cancer

Here is a list of some types of cancer that we treat at Sabates Eye Centers:

  • Conjunctival melanoma – An uncommon eye cancer that arises in the conjunctiva, the clear membrane that covers the outer surface of the eye and the inner part of the eyelids.
  • Eyelid carcinoma – A cancer that begins in a tissue that lines the inner or outer surfaces of the eyelid.
  • Intraocular lymphoma – A rare malignant form of eye cancer that may affect the eye secondarily from a metastasis from a non-ocular tumor or may arise within the eye.
  • Lacrimal gland tumor – A tumor in the tear-producing glands. Nearly half of lacrimal gland tissues are benign.
  • Retinoblastoma – A malignant tumor that grows in the retina and can devastate a child’s vision and/or be fatal.
  • Uveal melanoma – A cancer of the eye involving the iris, ciliary body, or choroid.
  • Uveal metastasis – Uveal metastasis is a common malignant intraocular tumor.

Our Ocular Oncology Doctor