What are Ocular Tumors?
Ocular tumor is a general term that includes the various types of tumors (abnormal mass of tissue) that can develop in different parts of the eye. An ocular tumor occurs when cells in or around the eye start to divide and multiply uncontrollably. Unfortunately, what triggers this abnormal growth of cells in some people continues to be a mystery.
In order to understand an ocular tumor, it is important to know the different parts of the eye:
- Eyeball: It is the main part of the eye and mainly consists of a jelly-like material called the vitreous humor.
- Orbit: It is the bony cavity of the skull that houses the eyeball and includes muscles and nerves attached to the eye.
- Adnexal structures: These include accessory structures such as eyelids and tear glands.
Ocular tumors/cancers are broadly classified into two types
- Primary: A primary ocular tumor is the one that develops in any of the above 3 parts of the eye. More specifically, cancer that begins in the eyeball is called primary intraocular cancer. Primary intraocular cancers include the more frequent melanoma (develops in the color-producing cells of the eye) and the relatively less common lymphoma. Yet another intraocular cancer is retinoblastoma (cancer that develops in the retinal cells of the eyeball)-a rare type of childhood cancer.
- Secondary: Of the two, secondary ocular tumors are more common. A secondary ocular tumor is a tumor that starts somewhere else in the body and later metastasizes (spreads) to the eye.
What are Orbital Tumors?
Orbital tumors consist of tumors in and around the orbital region. This includes the bone around the orbit, muscles, nerves and blood vessels associated with the eye. The predominant symptom of an orbital tumor is bulging of the eye called proptosis.
Different types of orbital tumors
The different types of orbital tumors are explained below:
- Neurofibromas and Schwannomas: These tumors arise from specialized cells called Schwann cells located on sheaths enclosing the nerves, except the optic nerve.
- Optic glioma: A type of tumor that arises from glial cells-the supporting cells in the brain.
- Orbital meningioma: A type of tumor that arises from the meninges (the protective covering surrounding the brain and optic nerves).
- Other orbital tumors: These include orbital tumors that arise from the bone (Osteomas and ossifying fibromas) or skin around the eye. Also, there are tumors that spread to the orbit from other parts of the body (metastasize).
Related Topics
- Cataract
- Glaucoma
- Eyelid Disorders
- Dry Eyes
- Blepharitis
- Chalazion
- Tear Duct Obstruction
- Refractive Errors
- Subconjunctival Hemorrhage
- Pterygium
- Hyphema
- Herpetic Eye Disease
- Acute/ Chronic/Recurrent Iridocyclitis
- Chemical Burn
- Conjunctival & Corneal tear
- Repair of Conjunctival and Corneal tear
- Corneal Opacity
- Corneal Ulcer
- Ocular/Orbital Trauma
- Treatment of Ocular/Orbital trauma
- Eyelid Cyst
- Optic Nerve Atrophy
- Optic Neuropathy
- Pars Planitis/Intermediate Uveitis
- Posterior Uveitis
- Diseases of Cornea
- Temporal Arteritis
- Traumatic Iritis
- Ocular/Orbital Tumors
- Pediatric Eye Problems