Small-pigmented lesions over the optic disc are very rare and may represent a diagnostic challenge. To report a case of a small malignant choroidal melanoma invading the optic nerve. A 60-year-old male presents with low vision in the left eye due to a small, pigmented lesion over the optic disc. At first the patient refused enucleation. One month later, after further drop in visual acuity, the patient was seen at another service, diagnosed as having a retinal detachment, and pars plana vitrectomy was proposed but also refused by the patient. Returning to our service, the eye was enucleated and a final diagnosis of choroidal melanoma with post-laminar optic nerve invasion was made. Although rare, pigmented lesions over the optic disc may represent a malignant melanoma. The prognostic significance of optic nerve invasion by choroidal melanoma is not clear yet. The differential diagnosis in these cases is usually difficult but a solid lesion is clear at ultrasonography and serous retinal detachment may predict a active tumor lesion. The management of these cases needs accuracy to avoid the unpleasant consequences of dissemination.
Choroid neoplams; Choroid neoplasms; Choroid neoplasms; Optic nerve; Melanoma; Eye visceration; Neoplasm invasiveness; Case report
