Treatment for melanoma of the eye depends on the size and location of the tumour. Your care team will explain each treatment option in detail, including the benefits and any potential complications.
Treatment will aim to conserve the affected eye whenever possible.
The main treatments for eye melanoma are:
brachytherapy – tiny plates lined with radioactive material called plaques are inserted near the tumour and left in place for up to a week to kill the cancerous cells
external radiotherapy – a machine is used to carefully aim beams of radiation at the tumour to kill the cancerous cells
surgery to remove the tumour or part of the eye – this may be possible if the tumour is small and you still have some vision in your eye
removal of the eye (enucleation) – this may be necessary if the tumour is large or you've lost your vision; the eye will eventually be replaced with an artificial eye that matches your other eye
Chemotherapy is rarely used for eye melanoma, but may be suitable for other types of eye cancer.