What Are Retinal Tumours and Their Treatments

Retinal tumours are rare and they occur in the retina, one of the most important parts of the eyes. Most retinal tumours are benign, but sometimes, they can be cancerous. All tumours in the eyes can be diagnosed and treated by ophthalmologists, ocular oncologists, retinal specialists, and specialist clinics. It is important to see a specialist when you have been to an eye examination and told that there is a mass in your retina.

It is recommended that you see a specialist as soon as you notice or feel anything wrong with your vision or your eye. This way, you can prevent the disease from progressing or developing into something worse and difficult to treat. You should also seek medical treatment when you notice anything strange about your eye, like floaters and bleeding within the eyes, and unclear vision. Certain types of cancers may also cause retinal tumours in some patients.

Retinoblastoma is the most common type of retinal tumour, which typically occurs in children, and may affect one or both eyes. Its symptoms include redness and swelling of the eye, eyes that seem to be looking in different directions, and a white colour in the pupil when light shines into the eye. Retinoblastoma occurs when the retina's nerve cells genetically mutate to cause cells to grow and multiply as healthy cells die, resulting in a tumour. The condition may spread to other parts of the body, like the spine and the brain. It is not clear what causes the genetic mutations, but children may inherit them from parents.

There are other kinds of retinal tumours, which may not appear in the retina itself and may mimic the symptoms and appearance of retinoblastoma. Choroidal melanoma is one of these, and it can grow inside the eye. It usually starts from the layer of blood vessels under the retina and may spread to the whole body. Choroidal metastatis is another retinal tumour, which is unfortunately the result of another cancer (i.e. lung cancer in men and breast cancer in women). Doctors often recommend a biopsy to determine the type of tumour and its cause, but the cause of choroidal metastasis may not be clear.

Retinal tumours can be treated or kept under control through interventions or surgeries. Enucleation (eye removal surgery), systemic chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are some interventions that are commonly recommended. Systemic chemotherapy is considered safer than external beam irradiation, which may lead to another cancer later in life. Radiation therapy may help preserve your vision if the tumour has not yet affected or destroyed the centre of the retina.

Eye removal surgery completely removes the affected eye and its optic nerve to prevent the recurrence of the cancer, but it often requires a lot of consideration because it automatically means that you will never be able to see again. However, you have the option to have an artificial made for aesthetic reasons.

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