What should you know about eye malignant melanoma?

Melanoma develops from pigment-producing cells. Around the eye it may involve eyelid skin, the surrounding skin, or internal eye structures, and those locations require different specialists and tests. A changing dark spot, irregular border, new lump, persistent sore, or unexplained bleeding deserves examination, but these signs can also have non-cancerous causes. A clinician may use close inspection, imaging, and a biopsy or removal of tissue to establish what is present.

If melanoma is confirmed, staging checks the tumour’s local features and whether nearby lymph nodes or distant organs need evaluation. Brain metastases are a separate condition that may be considered only when clinical findings and staging indicate it.

Arrange prompt review with a dermatologist, eye specialist, or cancer team for a suspicious lesion. Do not remove, burn, or repeatedly pick it yourself. Treatment can include skin cancer surgery or tumour removal surgery, with the approach shaped by depth, site, and preservation of eye function. Selected cases may involve sentinel lymph node biopsy or immunotherapy. Keep every appointment so pathology and staging results can guide the next decision.

Seek urgent care for sudden vision loss, severe eye pain, rapidly increasing swelling, uncontrolled bleeding, or a new neurological symptom such as weakness, confusion, or seizure. Contact the cancer team quickly for a fast-changing lesion, new lumps near the eye or neck, or worsening unexplained headaches.

Ask exactly where the lesion is, how it will be confirmed, which staging tests are needed, whether eye function can be preserved, what treatment choices fit the findings, and how follow-up will be organised.