Ocular Melanoma Patient Resources

In 2025, it is estimated that 5 people in every 1 million in the United States will be diagnosed with a rare cancer that begins in the cells (melanocytes) that make the eyes' pigment (melanin). This type of eye cancer is called both Ocular Melanoma and Eye Melanoma. In the medical community and on the internet, the following terms are used to further identify the most common locations of this eye tumor:

The uvea — the middle layer within the eye that lies above the retina and beneath the sclera and cornea — is the site for eye melanomas approx. 85% of the time. Uveal Melanoma and Intraocular Melanoma (meaning "within the eye") are used interchangeably to indicate this location. Depending on where the tumor is in the uveal tract, the cancer will also be more specifically identified as either Choroidal Melanoma (approx. 90% of uveal melanomas), Ciliary Body Melanoma, or Iris Melanoma.

Approx. 5% of eye melanomas occur in the conjunctiva membrane that covers the white outer layer (sclera) of the eye and that lines the eyelid. A tumor located here is referred to as Conjunctival Melanoma.

Statistics compiled from American Academy of Ophthalmology; Text: EyeMelanoma.org

Illustration of eye anatomy with the parts of the eye labeled

Illustration provided with permission from National Institutes of Health's National Eye Institute

About This Website

Patient Empowerment • Hope • Informed Decision Making

As healthcare professionals, my sister and I always believed strongly in creating environments that support patient empowerment, hope, and informed decision making. We then found ourselves needing to personally apply this same approach when she was diagnosed with ocular melanoma.

And so it was in her honor that EyeMelanoma.org was established in 2011 as a website that focuses specifically on providing patients and their families with online links to useful resources and to accurate up-to-date information on this rare cancer.

This U.S.-based website continues to be actively expanded and updated every month:

New ocular melanoma resources are added from trustworthy organizations around the world — primarily OM-related nonprofits, healthcare organizations, medical journal publishers, academic/medical centers, medical associations, and public health agencies.

This information must be available in English so that it can be thoroughly vetted and then added. (When applicable, links to a provider's same materials in additional languages are also noted.)

All resources are listed alphabetically or in date order with the descriptions quoted directly from written material on their websites.

Once listed, the resources and their links are re-verified throughout the year and are updated or removed as needed.

In order to highlight the latest information on medical-related topics, only ocular melanoma educational videos, conference presentations, and medical journal articles created or published during the past two years stay listed on this website each month.

The EyeMelanoma.org website is very much meant to be a place of encouragement. I hope that when using the links to organizations, support services, educational videos, patient guides, medical journal articles, conferences, clinical trials, and the many other types of resources compiled here, you are heartened by the crucial and continuously expanding work being done in ocular melanoma research, treatment, and support by truly dedicated people.

Wishing everyone strength and healing,

Erica Barrett, MOT, MBA

In loving honor of my sister Paula

EyeMelanoma.org, a not-for-profit website, does not contain any advertisements and does not accept funding/donations.

EyeMelanoma.org's mission is to serve as a reliable, thorough, and concise reference guide for accessing online Ocular Melanoma educational materials and patient support resources

About This Website