After an eye cancer is found and staged, the cancer care team will discuss your treatment options with you. In choosing a treatment plan, factors to consider include the location and stage of the cancer, your overall health, the chances of curing the disease, and the possible impact of the treatment on vision.
It is important to take time and think about your choices. Because intraocular melanomas and lymphomas are rare, if time permits it is often a good idea to seek an opinion from a doctor who has a lot of experience in treating people with these cancers. A second opinion can provide more information and help you feel more confident about the treatment plan that is chosen.
Treatments of the eye may interfere with or cause complete loss of vision. Doctors have developed treatments to try to preserve vision whenever possible, but these treatments may not always be the best choice. Eye cancers can often be fatal if left untreated, and in some cases treatment must be given regardless of the potential damage to the eye. On the other hand, some eye melanomas are small, grow very slowly (if at all), and can be watched carefully without treatment. This is why it is important to get the opinion of a skilled specialist in this field before deciding on treatment.