Causes

Causes

The exact reasons why cancer of the eye develops aren't fully understood. However, some things increase your risk of certain types. For example:

-if you have blue, grey or green eyes you are more likely to develop melanoma of the eye.
-if you have lots of moles that are unusually shaped or especially large (a condition called atypical mole syndrome) this may increase your chances of developing melanoma of the eye.
-exposure to ultraviolet rays (UV) in sunlight increases your risk of getting melanoma of the eye - wearing UV protective sunglasses can reduce your exposure.
-having a weakened immune system increases your chances of developing lymphoma of the eye.
-retinoblastoma is often caused by inheriting a faulty gene from your parents