Eye Tumors - Types of Hemangiomas - Choroidal Hemangioma and Melanoma

There are various types of eye tumors or cancers or hemangiomas and some known types are choroidal hemangiomas, choroidal melanomas, choroidal metastatic tumors, choroidal nevus, conjunctival tumors, eyelid tumors, iris tumors, orbital tumors, lymphoma of eyes, and leukemia of eyes but today I will just share with you some important information on choroidal hemangiomas and melanomas so that any patient or their relatives searching the Internet regarding eye cancer information can derive some benefits. This information is also helpful for patients seeking information on treatment of options of choroidal hemangiomas.

Choroidal Hemangioma

A choroidal hemangioma is a tumor made up of blood vessels that grows in the choroidal layer of blood vessels of eyes lying beneath the retina. Fortunately, choroidal hemangiomas are not malignant tumors and therefore do not spread to other parts of body, but if a choroidal hemangioma is located in the central vision, it can cause a leak of some essential eye liquid to produce cystic changes and/or retinal detachment that results in decreased vision of the eye.

There are many choroidal hemangiomas that can be safely monitored by an ophthalmologist without the need for any treatment. The doctor takes pictures of some parts of eye to monitor any evidence of leakage or growth and need for treatment. Treatment options for choroidal hemangiomas include laser therapy with small doses of radiation or laser photocoagulation in order to reduce leakage and prevent decreased or blurry vision.

Choroidal Melanoma

A choroidal melanoma is a tumor of inner eye (intraocular parts of eye) which is more common in adults than kids. Choroidal melanoma is a true cancer of the eye. Choroidal melanoma initiates from pigmented cells of the choroids (vascular layer of eye) and then metastasizes or spreads to other parts of the eye. Choroidal melanoma is a malignant tumor of pigmented cells of eye and eventually can spread to other parts of body. As choroidal melanoma grows in the inner eye, this is the reason why it is not recognized in its initial stages but when slowly and steadily it grows to a bigger size, the patient starts experiencing impaired vision, eye obstruction, bleeding, retinal detachment, and other types of eye complications. On a general basis, just like other cancerous tumors, there is no pain in the beginning but when the tumor swells up or becomes larger, the pain and problems start.