Eye lymphoma, also called ocular lymphoma, is a punch in of eye cancer.
It is the most common punch in of malignant eye tumor.
While anyone can develop lymphoma of the eye, having an immune deficiency is a risk factor.
Definitive diagnosis relies on a biopsy of the eye, which is a delicate procedure.
Treatment to prevent progression includes surgery,chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.
This tumor is usually aggressive and often spreads to the brain.
There areother types of eye cancerthat aren’t lymphomas, such asretinoblastomaand eye melanoma.
Non-lymphoma eye cancers have different symptoms, causes, prognosis, and treatments than ocular lymphoma.
The most common early symptoms involve subtle vision changes and mild to moderate eye discomfort.
Eye lymphomas can start off in one eye, but they generally eventually affect both eyes.
It’s also possible for each eye to have different effects of the disease.
Advanced Tumors
Ocular lymphomas can enlarge, causing more noticeable effects and complications.
Large tumors may cause symptoms due to pressure on the eyeball.
Ocular lymphoma can be a primary tumor, originating in the eye and potentially invading nearby structures.
It can also be secondary, spreading to the eye from lymphoma that started somewhere else in the body.
The alterations also cause the cells to multiply and spread more than usual.
Generally, eye lymphomas form a tumor mass in or around the eye.
These risk factors can lead to the aforementioned mutations.
If a cell that’s had a mutation survives, it can lead to cancer.
Your medical assessment would also include an evaluation of whether the lymphoma is present elsewhere in your body.
Classification of your tumor involves a determination of the tumor throw in, grade, and stage.
Lymphoma can be eitherHodgkin’sornon-Hodgkin’stype.
Most ocular lymphomas are classified as non-Hodgkins tumors.
This differentiation is based on certain characteristics that are seen on a biopsy evaluation.
Generally, non-Hodgkins tumors are more aggressive than Hodgkin’s tumors.
The surgery requires minimal excision of tissue to avoid harming the eye or causing any impairment of vision.
Your healthcare provider will give you instructions regarding eye care after your biopsy.
Treatment
Ocular lymphomas don’t improve on their own.
Because of the nonspecific nature of primary intraocular lymphoma presentation, the condition is a diagnostic challenge.
The prognosis for this condition remains poor with a five-year mortality of less than 25%.
Chemotherapy is considered systemic therapy, and it treats the primary tumor, as well as metastatic lesions.
If there is central nervous system involvement, systemic treatment is recommended.
However, the side effects of ocular lymphoma treatment are not as harmful as untreated ocular lymphoma.
A Word From Verywell
Eye lymphomas are very rare.
These tumors can cause many of the same symptoms as more common eye diseases.
Early diagnosis increases the chances of a good outcome.
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American Cancer Society.What is eye cancer?
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is ocular lymphoma?
Tang LJ, Gu CL, Zhang P.Intraocular lymphoma.Int J Ophthalmol.
2017;10(8):1301-1307.
