Experts theorize that's because that lid is most exposed to overhead ultraviolet radiation. This type of cancer is locally invasive. It eats its way deeply under the skin, but it does not spread to other parts of the body and may not be painful, according to Semes. Signs that require a visit to an optometrist are changes in the mole's color and elevation, or bleeding of the mole. An optometrist will generally refer a patient with skin cancer of the eye to an oculoplastic specialist, practitioners of a narrow subspecialty of ophthalmology who completed a residency and fellowship training in lesions of the eye.
People can avoid having to visit such a specialist by taking a few simple precautions.
Melanoma seems to run in families, so there can be a genetic predisposition there. Youngsters especially need to be protected, because sun damage is cumulative.