Eye Diseases—Benign Tumors

Also called: Benign cancer, Benign neoplasms, Noncancerous tumors

Tumors are abnormal growths in your body. They can be either benign or malignant. Benign tumors aren’t cancer. Malignant ones are. Benign tumors grow only in one place. They cannot spread or invade other parts of your body. Even so, they can be dangerous if they press on vital organs, such as your brain.

Tumors are made up of extra cells. Normally, cells grow and divide to form new cells as your body needs them. When cells grow old, they die, and new cells take their place. Sometimes, this process goes wrong. New cells form when your body does not need them, and old cells do not die when they should. These extra cells can divide without stopping and may form tumor.

Treatment often involves surgery. Benign tumors usually don’t grow back.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

• Biopsy – polyps (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Cherry angioma (Medical Encyclopedia)

Some eye problems are minor and don’t last long. But some can lead to a permanent loss of vision.

Common eye problems include

• Refractive errors
• Cataracts – clouded lenses
• Optic nerve disorders, including glaucoma
• Retinal disorders – problems with the nerve layer at the back of the eye
• Macular degeneration – a disease that destroys sharp, central vision
• Diabetic eye problems
• Conjunctivitis – an infection also known as pinkeye

Your best defense is to have regular checkups, because eye diseases do not always have symptoms. Early detection and treatment could prevent vision loss. See an eye care professional right away if you have a sudden change in vision, if everything looks dim, or if you see flashes of light. Other symptoms that need quick attention are pain, double vision, fluid coming from the eye, and inflammation.

NIH: National Eye Institute

• Anisocoria (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Choroidal dystrophies (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Coloboma of the iris (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Episcleritis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Eye and orbit ultrasound (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Eye burning – itching and discharge (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Eye pain (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Eye redness (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Fluorescein angiography (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Fluorescein eye stain (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Heterochromia (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Ophthalmoscopy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Orbit CT scan (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Orbital pseudotumor (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Photophobia (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Pinguecula (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Pterygium (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Pupil – white spots (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Scleritis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Slit-lamp exam (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Standard ophthalmic exam (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Subconjunctival hemorrhage (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Uveitis (Medical Encyclopedia)