Ocular Moles Service
The Ocular Moles Service at Oxford Eye Hospital delivers care to patients with a mole at the back of the eye.
These moles are common and the vast majority are harmless. A few are atypical and need to be distinguished from melanomas, which are cancerous but rare.
By providing a rapid diagnosis, the Ocular Moles Service minimises any anxiety in patients with lesions that are not a cause for concern, while ensuring that patients with eye cancer urgently receive treatment without delay.
The majority of patients with a mole at the back of the eye will receive a report on their condition without needing to travel to hospital if the optometrist sends us a photograph of the lesion with the referral letter.
If no photograph is received, or if it does not allow us to provide an opinion, patients will be given an appointment to attend the Ocular Moles Photography Clinic at Oxford Eye Hospital.
If eye cancer is suspected, they will be seen by an ophthalmologist on the same day; otherwise, they will be allowed home without needing to see a doctor.
Within a week, all photographs will be reviewed by an ophthalmologist with special expertise in this field. Management will be individualised according to findings.
- Patients with a common mole will receive a report with advice on monitoring of their lesion by their community optometrist.
- Those with an atypical mole will be given an appointment for imaging of their lesion to be repeated at the Ocular Moles Photography Clinic after several months.
- Patients with suspected cancer will be seen urgently by an ocular oncologist at Oxford Eye Hospital.
We have established close links with optometrists in Oxfordshire as well as National Ocular Oncology Services at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.
Guidelines and referral forms for optometrists / practitioners
Optometrists and practitioners, please visit:
Ocular Moles Service - guidelines
Patient leaflet
Mole at the back of the eye (pdf, 72 KB)
National Ocular Oncology Services