Is Your Eye Color Putting You at Increased Eye Cancer Risk?

The first scientific evidence has been published giving evidence that people with lighter eyes and fair skin may be more susceptible to uveal melanomas.

Genes that help determine eye color have a strong association with the risk level of uveal melanoma, commonly called eye cancer. Support for this finding was published in Nature by a team of US scientists who studied the genetics of eye pigmentation traits and susceptibility to eye cancer.

A link between light eye color and eye cancer had previously been noticed, but the genetic link had not been examined. Eye cancer affects around 2,500 people every year, making it a relatively rare and difficult to study cancer.

"This is a very important discovery that will guide future research efforts to explore the interactions of these pigmentary genes with other genetic and environmental risk factors in cancers not linked to sun exposure, such as eye melanoma," ophthalmologic pathologist and cancer geneticist of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center Mohamed Abdel-Rahman said in a release.

"This could provide a paradigm shift in the field. Our study suggests that in eye melanoma the pigmentation difference may play a direct cancer-driving role, not related to sunlight protection"

The study examined the link between susceptibility to eye cancer and susceptibility to skin cancer shown by statistics. Samples were taken and examined from more than 270 patients.

Skin melanomas are linked with 29 genetic mutations. The scientists performed analysis to see uveal melanomas were also linked to the genetic mutations.

Out of five genetic mutations that had a significant link to both skin melanomas and uveal melanomas, three were related to eye color determination.

In the event of eye cancer symptoms, seek medical care immediately. Symptoms include, but are not limited to blurry vision, sudden loss of vision, flashes of light, visual field loss and a growing dark spot on the iris.