Eye cancer is a term that refers to various types of tumors that can begin in different parts of the eye. It occurs when healthy cells in or around the eye change and develop uncontrollably, creating a mass called a tumor. Surgery can be used to treat some types of melanomas of the eye.

Khan Eyelid and Facial Aesthetics, led by board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Tanya Khan, provides safe and proven eye care procedures to patients in Plano, Dallas, Texas, and surrounding communities. 

Types of Surgery for Eye Cancer

The type of surgery that needs to be undertaken depends largely on the size and location of the tumor, the extent to which it has spread, and the overall health of the patient. 

All these surgeries are conducted with the patient under general anesthesia (in a deep sleep) and may require a stay of one to two days in the hospital. Some of the surgical procedures used to treat patients with eye melanoma are as follows:

Iridectomy 

This refers to the removal of part of the iris (the colored part of the eye). This surgery may be a suitable option for iris melanomas that are very small. 

Iridotrabeculectomy 

This surgery refers to the removal of part of the iris, along with a small piece of the outer part of the eyeball. This might also be a good option to treat small iris melanomas.

Iridocyclectomy

It involves the removal of a fraction of the iris and the ciliary body. This surgical procedure is also appropriate for small iris melanomas.

Transscleral Resection 

It refers to the surgical removal of only the melanoma of the ciliary body or choroid. This kind of surgery should only be undertaken by surgeons who have several years of experience in the treatment of eye melanomas because it is difficult to take out the tumor without causing damage to the rest of the eye. If complications arise during or after surgery, it could cause serious problems of the vision.

Enucleation 

This involves the removal of the whole eyeball. It is suitable for treating larger melanomas. However, the procedure might also be undertaken for some smaller melanomas, if there is no vision in the eye, or in cases where other options of treatment could damage the useful vision in the eye anyway. 

As part of the same surgery, an orbital implant is generally put in to take the place of the eyeball. The implant is made out of silicone or hydroxyapatite (a substance similar to bone). 

The implant is attached to the muscles that moved the eye, so it should move the same way as the original eye would have. Within a few weeks of the surgical procedure, you need to visit an ocularist (a specialist in eye prostheses) to be fixed with an artificial eye, a thin shell that can fit over the orbital implant and beneath the eyelids. 

The artificial eye matches the color and size of the eye that is remaining. Once it is in fitted, it will be difficult to tell the difference from the real eye.

Orbital Exenteration 

It refers to the removal of the eyeball and some adjacent structures such as parts of the eyelid and muscles, other tissues and nerves inside the eye socket. This surgical procedure is not common, but it might be undertaken sometimes for melanomas that have grown outside the eyeball into the surrounding structures. As with enucleation, the surgeon may place an artificial eye in the socket after surgery.

Possible Risks and Side Effects

All surgeries carry an inherent risk, including the chances of bleeding, pain, blood clots, complications from anesthesia and infections. Therefore, you should choose an experienced eye surgeon to achieve safe and predictable outcomes. 

Oculoplastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Tanya Khan receives patients from Plano, Dallas, Texas, and nearby areas for advanced eye care treatments.  

Contact Khan Eyelid and Facial Aesthetics and Oculoplastic & Reconstructive Surgeon Dr. Tanya Khan Today to Schedule an Appointment

For more information about procedures and treatments at Khan Eyelid and Facial Aesthetics by Ophthalmic surgeon Dr. Tanya Khan. Click here to contact us.

Taking patients from in and around Dallas, Plano, Fort Worth, Grapevine, Garland, Mesquite, Carrollton, Irving, Frisco, Texas and more.

Tumors are abnormal growths that occur when cells start to expand beyond control. They can be either malignant (cancerous) or benign (harmless). Eye cancer refers to any cancer that originates in the eye. One of the most common types of eye cancer is melanoma. But there are other kinds of cancer too that affect different cells in the eye.

Orbital and adnexal tumors grow from tissue, such as from muscle, skin, or nerve around the eyeball. The orbit – commonly known as the eye socket – consists of the tissues adjacent the eyeball. The adnexal structures of the eye include the tear glands and eyelids.

Khan Eyelid and Facial Aesthetics, led by board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Tanya Khan, provides safe and proven eye care procedures to patients in Plano, Dallas, Texas, and surrounding locations.

Symptoms of Orbital and Adnexal Tumors

• Bulging eyeball
• Bleeding from the nose, mainly on only one side
• Double vision or change in vision 
• Loss or change of ability to smell
• Eyelid appears to be closed 
• Lump on the eyelid or the size of the eye increases over time
• Total or partial total loss of vision
• Eye redness 
• Flashes or shadows of light in the vision
• Pressure, sinus pain, and infections

Types of Orbital Tumors 

Orbital tumors usually push the eye forward, resulting in the bulging of the eye (proptosis). Some of the common reasons are inflammatory pseudotumor and thyroid eye disease; both are benign. Other benign orbital tumors include inflammatory pseudotumor, cavernous hemangioma lymphangioma, Schwannoma, mucocele, arterio-venous malformations, and lacrimal gland pleomorphic adenoma. 

One of the most widespread orbital malignancies is lymphoma. In children, generally orbital tumors such as capillary hemangioma, lymphangioma, dermoid cyst, and optic nerve glioma are benign. Common orbital malignancies in children comprise metastatic neuroblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma.

Types of adnexal tumors

One of the most common types of eyelid cancer is basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Other eyelid cancers include melanoma, sebaceous cell carcinoma, lymphoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Adenoid cystic carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor that is considered to be an aggressive form of cancer of the lacrimal gland.

Diagnostic Tests

Imaging – The ophthalmologist may ask you to undergo a computerized tomography (CT) scan, ultrasound, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to help in the diagnosis of your tumor.

Biopsy – The most appropriate way for your doctor to diagnose your orbital or adnexal tumor accurately is to surgically get a small sample (biopsy) of tissue from the affected area, and then send it to the laboratory for analysis.

Eye Cancer Treatments

Surgery – When necessary, your ophthalmologist will possibly advise you to undergo a surgical removal of the tumor.

Radiation therapy – In case the tumor cannot be taken out surgically, the patient may require to go through external beam radiation therapy to first shrink the size of the tumor and then destroy it.

Intra-Arterial Cytoreductive Chemotherapy (IACC) – In this treatment, a catheter is inserted into an artery in the thigh and threaded up to the lacrimal gland area. A concentrated dose of chemotherapy is then delivered through the catheter directly to the tumor. This treatment has greatly improved the long-term survival in patients diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, an aggressive form of cancer of the lacrimal gland.

A Collaborative Approach from a Multidisciplinary Team  

The treatment of adnexal tumors and orbital usually requires coordination and management with other medical disciplines, such as otolaryngology, dermatology, medical oncology, neurosurgery, interventional radiology, and radiation oncology.

Oculoplastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Tanya Khan receives patients from Plano, Dallas, Texas, and nearby areas for advanced eye care treatments. 

Contact Khan Eyelid and Facial Aesthetics and Oculoplastic & Reconstructive Surgeon Dr. Tanya Khan Today to Schedule an Appointment

For more information about procedures and treatments at Khan Eyelid and Facial Aesthetics by Ophthalmic surgeon Dr. Tanya Khan. Click here to contact us.

Taking patients from in and around Dallas, Plano, Fort Worth, Grapevine, Garland, Mesquite, Carrollton, Irving, Frisco, Texas and more.