Eye lymphoma, also known as ocular lymphoma, is a form of cancer of the eye.
Eye lymphomas are very rare.
Lymphomas are cancers of the immune system.
Most eye lymphomas are a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Eye lymphoma can be broken down into subtypes, depending on which part of the eye it affects.
Uveal Lymphoma
Uveal lymphoma is also a non-Hodgkin lymphoma starting in B cells.
Rather, its the result of cancer elsewhere that has spread (metastasized) to the eye.
Symptoms of Eye Lymphoma
Eye lymphoma can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are so general.
Symptoms include:
About 80 percent of people with PIOL will experience symptoms in both eyes.
Most of these symptoms are nonspecific and could be triggered by any number of eye-related conditions.
Eye Lymphoma Treatment
Chemotherapy is the mainstay treatment for eye lymphoma.
Local Treatment
Local chemotherapy includes methotrexate or rituximab injected directly into the vitreous humor.
Methotrexate is a powerful drug that kills cancer cells.
At lower dosages, its used to treat inflammatory autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.
Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody that targets and attaches to a protein found on the surface of B cells.
This is toxic to B cells and results in their death.
Eye lymphoma has also been known to respond to external beam radiation, according to theAmerican Academy of Ophthalmology.
Systemic Treatment
Systemic treatment affects your whole body.
For systemic chemotherapy, you may get methotrexate and rituximab, as you would with local treatment.
Systemic chemotherapy and radiation are well-known for theirside effects, which are sometimes severe.
Diagnosing PIOL before it progresses to the brain increases the average survival time to up to five years.
According to the AAO, uveal and ocular adnexal lymphomas are usually of much lower grade and progress slowly.
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