A risk factor is anything that increases your chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. For example, unprotected exposure to strong sunlight is a risk factor for skin cancer and smoking is a risk factor for cancers of the lung, larynx, mouth, throat, esophagus, kidneys, bladder, and several other organs. But having a risk factor, or even several, does not mean that you will get the disease.

Risk Factors for Primary Intraocular Melanoma

Coloration: Just as people with fair skin are more likely to develop melanoma of the skin than are people with darker skin, people with blue eyes are also somewhat more likely to develop melanoma of the eye than are people with brown eyes. Ocular melanoma is rare in African-Americans.

Inherited melanoma: A condition called dysplastic nevus syndrome, which leads to abnormal moles of the skin and increased risk of skin melanoma, may also increase the risk for developing melanoma of the eye. People with abnormal brown spots of their uvea known as oculodermal melanocytosis or nevus of Ota also have an increased risk of developing eye melanoma. Eye melanomas can run in some families who do not have any of the conditions mentioned earlier in this paragraph, but this is very rare.

Sun exposure: Although excessive exposure to sunlight has been proposed as a possible risk factor for melanoma of the eye, it has never been proven.There has also been a suggestion that sunlamp exposure is also a risk factor.

Welding: There is also some evidence, which is not conclusive, that long-term exposure to welding equipment is another risk factor for ocular melanoma.

Risk Factors for Primary Intraocular Lymphoma

The only known risk factor for primary lymphoma of the eye is having a weakened immune system. The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a common cause of immune system problems. Also, people who have had organ or tissue transplants must take drugs to prevent rejection of their transplants. These drugs weaken their immune system and increase their risk of developing lymphomas, including those starting inside the eye.

Revised: 10/16/2006