ROUTINE EYE checks can detect a rare form of eye cancer which can now be treated in Ireland, a conference in Cavan heard earlier this month.
Of the 41 new cases of uveal melanoma diagnosed in the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin in 2010, almost half had been initially picked up during routine eye examinations, according to an audit carried out by the ocular oncology team at the Eye and Ear and St Luke’s Hospital.
Uveal melanoma is the most common malignant tumour within the eye in adults, said Bríd Morris, who presented the audit results at the annual conference of the Irish College of Ophthalmologists last week. “The incidence is about nine per million population per year in Ireland, which is in line with international figures,” she said, explaining how the tumour’s growth can affect sight by damaging the retina.
“The cancer grows under the retina, the inner fine lining of the eye, and it can cause that to pull away.”
Many patients diagnosed with uveal melanoma in 2010 experienced blurring of vision, but some had no symptoms, said Ms Morris. “They were just picked up during incidental checks by opticians or eye doctors.”
The key to a successful outcome is early detection and treatment, she added, and described how since September 2010 patients had been able to undergo “plaque radiotherapy” treatment at St Luke’s Hospital in Dublin.
“It involves an operation where a radioactive plaque, which is like a shell, is sewn on to the eye. Then three or four days later, when an adequate radiation dose has been delivered, the plaque is removed.”
While it is too early to say how the recently diagnosed patients were responding to the treatment, Ms Morris said the study would continue. “We will follow up with this cohort and monitor them over time. And we will continue to audit new cases that arise every year,” she said, stressing the importance of routine eye checks for picking up more common conditions too.
