Tumors can appear in various parts of the eye, for example, on the retina, optic nerve, or iris. The occurrence of eye tumors can happen in the eyeball as well as in the surrounding soft tissues. Often, eye tumors are asymptomatic, but the risk of spreading to the liver, skin, or lungs increases.
There are conditionally 4 types of eye tumors:
- primary tumors, which develop from the tissues of the eye;
- secondary tumors, which develop from an external source of pathology;
- benign tumors;
- choroidal nevus, which can transform from benign to malignant tumor.
Causes
Even now, ophthalmology specialists do not know all the causes that lead to the appearance of eye tumors. Eye tumors can form as a complication of a progressing HIV infection. They can also arise during the process of metastasis in the body, being a consequence of malignant tumors forming in other organs. The cause of eye tumors may be the consumption of water with high levels of heavy metals.
Symptoms of Eye Tumors
The symptoms greatly depend on the type of eye tumor. There are several varieties:
- melanoma; in the early stages, there are no symptoms, but as the disease progresses, pain, bleeding, retinal detachment, and serious damage to the optic nerve may occur;
- choroidal hemangioma; appears as a benign formation on the vascular membrane of the eyeball, usually provoking retinal detachment and loss of vision during the course of the disease;
- nevus (choroidal); does not appear as a malignant tumor, like moles on the skin, but causes loss of vision in the center and periphery;
- conjunctival tumors; appear on the outer side of the eyes, causing painful sensations and harming the eye;
- tumors of the eyelid; present with swelling, pain, vision impairment, and dysfunction of the ducts;
- orbital tumors; usually affect the bones surrounding the eye and present with swelling of the eye or retinal detachment.
Diagnosis of Eye Tumors in Israel
Diagnosis often begins with taking a medical history and conducting an interview. Then, the ophthalmologist checks visual acuity and performs an examination of the eyeball. Ophthalmoscopy is a mandatory diagnostic method for tumors. The most popular method is computed tomography.
Treatment of Eye Tumors in Israel
Treatment of eye tumors can occur in various ways, depending on the diagnosis and previous illnesses. Below are some of them:
- surgical treatment of tumors usually involves complete, possibly partial removal of the eye; such intervention is necessary if there are multiple tumors or if there is no possibility to conduct another type of treatment;
- radiation therapy is used widely, as well as in continuation of surgical intervention; it can be external or internal; in both cases, it involves the destruction of malignant cells using radioactive radiation;
- implantation of "seeds" of radioactive material for local irradiation;
- stereotactic radiosurgery can direct particularly powerful radiation, considered to be the safest method, as damage to healthy organs near the site of inflammation is minimized.
Prevention
Preventing oncological diseases can be done even without noticing it. For example, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, avoiding harmful habits, and eating healthy can serve as excellent prevention of eye tumors.