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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffRisk factors for primary melanoma of the eye include:
- Eye color. People with blue eyes have a greater risk of melanoma of the eye, and conversely, this type of cancer occurs less often in people with brown eyes.
- Genetic disposition. A rare condition called dysplastic nevus syndrome, which causes abnormal moles, may also increase your risk of developing melanoma on your skin and in your eye. In addition, people with abnormal skin pigmentation involving the eyelids and adjacent tissues and increased pigmentation on their uvea — known as oculodermal melanocytosis or nevus of Ota — also have an increased risk of developing eye melanoma. Additionally, research has shown an association between certain chromosomal abnormalities, such as abnormalities on chromosome 3, and an increased risk that melanoma may spread from the eye to distant parts of the body.
Sun exposure
Exposure to ultraviolet light has been shown to cause melanoma on the skin, and it's also suspected to be a risk factor for eye melanoma, but this hasn't yet been proved.
