“My son has a black spot in the white portion of his eye. What is this spot?”
My son has a black spot in the white part of his eyes. This spot has been there since his birth but doctors did not seem perturbed with it. However, now I am seeing it growing with his age. Should I be concerned?
9 Answers
Depends on the diagnosis. A complete ophthalmologic exam should be performed.
It would be very helpful to see a picture. It is common to have pigment spots on the white part of our eyes. It should stay the same size if it is benign. It also matters if you are Caucasian or more pigmented. Hope that helps.
Although black spots on the surface of the eye are common, you can’t assume any one spot is insignificant. I strongly recommended evaluation by a pediatric ophthalmologist. Photos that document the growth of the spot may be helpful
MPK
MPK
The most likely thing would be a nevus (mole), but without seeing him it’s impossible to be sure. If it was my child, I would take him to a pediatric ophthalmologist and get a diagnosis and a recommendation.
Stephen M. Hamilton, MD
Stephen M. Hamilton, MD
It sounds like it can be a freckle, I would recommend seeing an ophthalmologist to make sure it is nothing more serious.
That might be a conjunctival nevus (pigmentation), if it's the same size or only small growth during the puberty, you should not be worried, Other wise show it to an ophthalmologist.
Any pigmented lesion which is growing deserves a good evaluation. This includes measuring the size as well as the elevation of the lesion and in some cases, a biopsy of the lesion is warranted.
If you are certain it is growing, it is recommended you bring him to an Ophthalmologist for exam. If you have photos of him that show it was smaller when he was younger, that would be helpful to the Dr.
It is likely to be a conjunctival mole. However if it grows larger, changes colour or bleeds, it could be a malignant melanoma. The former is likely. See your doctor again.
