While most people know of skin melanoma, ocular melanoma, also known as uveal melanoma, is a rare and aggressive form of melanoma that occurs in the eye. Around 200 Australians are diagnosed with this eye cancer each year. Many ocular melanoma cases are initially detected during a routine eye test at an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
Ocular melanoma is difficult to diagnose and is often lethal, with 25% of patients requiring removal of the affected eye and 50% of patients developing metastatic melanoma.
Give to support ocular melanoma research
Currently there are few accepted treatments or management guidelines for ocular melanoma, which is why our clinical research and the work of our special interest group, the Australasian Ocular Melanoma Alliance (AOMA), is so important.
More clinical research is desperately needed to gain a better understanding of this deadly cancer, and to develop improved treatments for patients affected by ocular melanoma.