A risk factor is anything that affects your chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. For example, exposing the skin to strong sunlight is a risk factor for skin cancer, and smoking is a risk factor for cancers of the lung, larynx (voice box), mouth, throat, esophagus (food tube), kidneys, bladder, and several other organs.

But risk factors don't tell us everything. Having a known risk factor, or even several risk factors, does not mean that you will get the disease. And many people who get the disease may not have had any known risk factors.

Risk factors for primary intraocular melanoma

Race/ethnicity/eye color: The risk of intraocular melanoma is much higher in whites than in African Americans or Asian Americans. Most studies have also found that people with blue eyes are also somewhat more likely to develop melanoma of the eye than are people with brown eyes.

Certain inherited conditions: Dysplastic nevus syndrome, in which people have abnormal moles of the skin and an 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 these conditions, but this is very rare.

Sun exposure: Although too much 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 may be a risk factor.

Certain occupations: Some studies have suggested that welders, farmers, fishermen, chemical workers, and laundry workers may have a higher risk of eye melanoma, but none of these links have been proven conclusively.

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.

Last Medical Review: 03/03/2009
Last Revised: 05/14/2009