Eye symptoms
Malignant Melanomas of the uvea in the eye cause a partial loss of vision, primarily if they are located in the posterior pole of the eye. Large tumors can cause exudative retinal detachment and hence cause total vision loss in the affected eye. It can lead to close angle glaucoma due to increased pressure upon the vitreous humor of the eye, which in turn pushes the lens anteriorly and causes severe eye pain, redness, and watering.
If the tumor keeps on increasing in size without treatment, it can burst out of the sclera, spreads into the surrounding tissue and causes marked proptosis. On examination, the tumor looks like an amelanotic mass, but the retina shows orange patches. The conjunctiva becomes congested (reddened), the cornea is edematous, and the pupil becomes fixed and dilated. The spread of the tumor is hematogenous and can cause secondary lesions, usually in the liver.