Tumours of the Eyes - Choroid Melanoma
Choroid melanomas are tumours that arise within the eye. They develop from the choroid, a highly vascular layer that is rich in melanocytes and located behind the retina. Tumour growth can therefore cause a detached retina. This frequently leads to an acute disturbance of the patient’s vision. Depending on the size of the tumour, choroid melanomas are either just observed (“conservative” approach), or treated with radiotherapy or radiosurgery. In cases of very large and prominent choroid melanomas, it is frequently necessary to enucleate (remove) the affected eye. Alternatively there is the option of radiosurgical treatment using the Gamma Knife, which in many cases allows the eye to be preserved.
The patient’s ophthalmologist (eye doctor) decides on what type of treatment is suitable.
As radiosurgical treatment requires the eyeball to be immobilised, the treatment is performed in co-operation with the eye doctor. He or she applies a local anaesthetic to the patient’s eye. This temporarily paralyses the eye muscles and therefore the eye cannot move during the Gamma Knife treatment. After approx. two to three hours the anaesthetic wears off and the eye functions normally again.
The following check-ups are carried out by the ophthalmologist.
The lens of the eye is sensitive to radiation, so later on the lens may become cloudy (cataract). With modern techniques it is possible to remedy this side-effect in a brief out-patient operation. In addition to this side-effect, there may also be damage to the retina and the optic nerve.
