Laser Therapy for Eye Cancer

Most eye cancers are melanomas (also known as ocular melanomas or intraocular melanomas). Laser therapy is sometimes used to treat eye melanoma, especially when surgery or radiation are not possible.

Transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT)

Transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT) is the most common type of laser treatment for eye melanoma. It uses infrared light to slowly heat and kill the tumor cells.

TTT alone may be an option to treat some very thin eye melanomas. It isn’t usually used as the first treatment for larger tumors because of an increased risk of side effects like bleeding, retinal detachment, and blockage of blood vessels in the eye, as well as a high risk of recurrence (cancer coming back).

TTT is more likely to be used as an adjuvant (additional) treatment after brachytherapy (plaque radiotherapy), to help lower the risk of recurrence.

TTT might also be an option for tumors that recur inside the eye.

Laser photocoagulation

Laser photocoagulation uses highly focused, high-energy laser beams to burn tumors and nearby blood vessels that feed them. It is rarely used to treat eye melanoma because of side effects and a high risk of tumor recurrence, but it might be an option for some very small melanomas.

Possible side effects of laser therapy

As with radiation therapy, the main concern with laser therapy is damage to parts of the eye that could result in loss of vision. This risk depends on the size and location of the tumor.