Read article Should I see an eye cancer specialist?
This page tells you about seeing an eye cancer specialist. There are sections about
Should I see an eye cancer specialist?
It can be very difficult for GPs to decide who may have a suspected cancer and who may have something much more minor. With many symptoms, it is perfectly right that your GP should ask you to wait to see if they get better or respond to treatment, such as antibiotics.
The NICE guidelines
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has produced guidelines for GPs to help them decide who needs to see a specialist urgently. There are no specific guidelines for eye cancers apart from retinoblastoma. The guidelines for retinoblastoma mostly affect children aged under two.
Guidelines for urgent referral
You should ideally get an appointment within 2 weeks for an urgent referral. The symptoms that need urgent referral to a specialist for possible retinoblastoma are
- If the pupil of the eye looks white instead of black – sometimes this is noticed on photos when a flash is used
- A change in how well your child can see and your GP suspects it could be caused by cancer
- A new squint that your GP suspects could be caused by cancer
- Problems with eyesight in a child with a family history of retinoblastoma.
If you are still worried
If you are concerned that your GP is not taking any symptoms as seriously as you think they should, you could print this page and take it along to an appointment. Ask your GP to talk it through with you.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the about eye cancer section.
It can be very difficult for GPs to decide who may have a suspected cancer and who may have something much more minor that will go away on its own. With many symptoms, it is perfectly right that your GP should ask you to wait to see if they get better or respond to treatment, such as antibiotics. If GPs referred everyone who came to see them to a specialist immediately, the system would get jammed and people needing urgent appointments wouldn't be able to get them.
It is important to see your doctor if you have any symptoms of eye cancer. But do remember that eye cancers are rare and that other conditions can also cause these symptoms.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has produced guidelines for GPs to help them decide who needs to see a specialist urgently. There are no specific guidelines for eye cancer, except for retinoblastoma. The guidelines for retinoblastoma mostly affect children aged under two.
According to the NICE guidelines you should ideally get an appointment within 2 weeks for an urgent referral. The symptoms that need urgent referral to a specialist for possible retinoblastoma are
- If the pupil of the eye looks white instead of black – sometimes this is noticed on photos when a flash is used
- A change in how well your child can see and your GP suspects it could be caused by cancer
- A new squint in your child that your GP suspects could be caused by cancer
- Problems with sight in a child with a family history of retinoblastoma
The guidelines say that if a child has a new squint or a change in the sharpness of their sight, but cancer is not suspected, they should be referred non urgently.
If you see a specialist they will want to examine you and may do several tests. There is information about the type of tests you may need in the diagnosing eye cancer section of CancerHelp UK.
If you are concerned that your GP is not taking any symptoms as seriously as you think they should, you could print this page and take it along to an appointment. Ask your GP to talk it through with you and then you may be able to decide together whether you, or your child, need to see a specialist and if so, how soon.
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