Glaucoma is much more common in eyes with iris or ciliary body melanoma than nevus.
Unilateral Glaucoma as a Clinical Indicator of Iris and Ciliary Body Melanoma.
Gillian A Folk … Nathan L Scott
Ocular oncology and pathology · 2026
Background
Iris and ciliary body melanomas are rare but potentially life-threatening tumors that are difficult to distinguish from benign nevi.
Methods
With iris or ciliary body melanoma or nevus were identified by International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) diagnostic codes.
n = 17,978 patients
Results
eyes with melanoma were far more likely to also have glaucoma than eyes with nevus
OR by subgroup · 95% CI
More results
Among patients with glaucoma, surgery was required more frequently in the melanoma cohort (18.9%) than nevus cohort (15.0%).
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Conclusion · 1 of 3
Unilateral glaucoma is significantly more common in eyes with iris and ciliary body melanoma than in those with iris and ciliary body nevus in this claims-based cohort, and melanoma patients are more likely to require surgical management.
Conclusion · 2 of 3
Unilateral glaucoma may serve as an important early clinical indicator of melanoma, although further clinical correlation is necessary.
Conclusion · 3 of 3
Incorporating glaucoma status into diagnostic criteria could improve recognition, prompt referral and biopsy, and reduce delays in treatment.