Protecting Your Vision and Health

When tumors develop in or around your eye socket, specialized care is essential for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. Most orbital tumors are benign, but they can still affect your vision and eye function if not properly managed. Our surgeons have extensive experience diagnosing and treating orbital tumors using advanced imaging and minimally invasive surgical techniques that preserve your vision while effectively addressing the tumor.

What are Orbital Tumors?

Orbital tumors are growths that develop in the eye socket area, which includes the space around your eyeball, the muscles that move your eye, the optic nerve, and the surrounding fat and tissues. These tumors can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous), though fortunately most are benign. They can originate in the orbit itself or spread from other parts of the body. Orbital tumors affect both adults and children, with different types being more common at different ages.

Early detection and proper treatment are important because even benign tumors can cause vision problems if they press on important structures around your eye. Learn more about our consultation process to discuss evaluation and treatment options for orbital masses.

What Can Orbital Tumor Treatment Accomplish?

Here’s what we’re trying to do when we treat your tumor:

Get rid of the tumor without hurting your eyesight
Stop problems like seeing double or having your eye stick out
Keep the tumor from getting bigger and causing more trouble
Get your eye moving normally and looking right again

Orbital Tumor Treatment Techniques

How we treat your tumor depends on what kind it is, how big it is, and where it’s sitting:

Surgical Removal

For most harmless tumors, the best thing to do is take the whole thing out. We make small, hidden cuts and use special magnifying equipment to carefully remove the tumor without damaging the important stuff around your eye.

Biopsy and Observation

Some tumors need to be sampled for diagnosis but can then be monitored rather than immediately removed. This approach works well for slow-growing tumors that aren’t causing symptoms.

Radiation Therapy

Certain types of tumors respond well to focused radiation treatment, either as the primary treatment or after surgery to prevent recurrence.

Medical Management

Sometimes what looks like a tumor is really just inflammation, and those cases often get better with steroid medications or other drugs that calm down the swelling.

Other Things You Might Need Along With Tumor Treatment

Treating orbital tumors sometimes means we need to do extra stuff too:

Reconstructive Surgery

After tumor removal, we may need to repair or rebuild damaged tissues to restore normal eye function and appearance.

Vision Correction

Sometimes tumor treatment affects focusing ability, requiring coordination with other eye specialists for vision correction.

Eyelid Repair

When tumors affect the eyelids or when surgical access requires eyelid incisions, we repair these areas to maintain normal eyelid function.

Follow-up Imaging

Regular CT or MRI scans help monitor for tumor recurrence and ensure the orbit is healing properly after treatment.

How Much Does Orbital Tumor Treatment Cost?

Insurance usually covers orbital tumor treatment because it’s not cosmetic – these tumors can mess with your vision, so it’s real medical stuff. That means your scans, biopsies, surgery, and follow-up visits should be covered. Every insurance plan is different, but most of them understand that treating eye socket tumors isn’t optional. We work with your insurance company to obtain pre-authorization and coordinate with other specialists involved in your care.

Recovery & Results

Recovery depends on the type of treatment you receive and the extent of surgery needed. If you just need a biopsy, you’ll probably feel back to normal in a few days. Bigger surgeries where we remove the whole tumor take longer – usually about a month to six weeks before you’re completely healed. Expect your eye area to be swollen and bruised at first. This looks worse than it feels and gets better every day. Most people go back to work and regular stuff after two or three weeks. Just don’t lift anything heavy or hit the gym hard while you’re healing. We’ll want to see you regularly after surgery to check how things are going and do scans to make sure the tumor hasn’t come back.

Candidates for Orbital Tumor Treatment

You may need orbital tumor evaluation if you have:

Progressive bulging or prominence of one or both eyes
New onset double vision or changes in eye movement
Unexplained pain around the eye or vision changes
A palpable mass or lump around the eye socket

LEADERS IN OCULOFACIAL PLASTIC SURGERY IN HOUSTON, THE WOODLANDS, TX AND PENSACOLA, FL

Houston, TX Location

At our Houston office, we deliver advanced cosmetic and reconstructive eyelid surgery techniques in a welcoming environment. Our experienced team focuses on achieving natural-looking results tailored to each person’s unique anatomy and goals.

Schedule a Consultation at our Houston Location

The Woodlands, TX Location

In The Woodlands, we offer consultations and clinic services, providing our expertise, artistry, and exceptional care to points north of Houston.

Schedule a Consultation at The Woodlands Location

Pensacola, FL Location

At our Pensacola office, we deliver advanced eyelid surgery techniques in a serene coastal environment. Our experienced team focuses on achieving natural-looking results tailored to each patient’s unique anatomy and aesthetic goals.

Schedule a Consultation at The Pensacola Location

Frequently Asked Questions About Orbital Tumors

Are most orbital tumors cancerous?

The good news is that most orbital tumors are benign, meaning they’re not cancerous and won’t spread to other parts of your body. However, even benign tumors can cause problems if they grow large enough to press on important structures around your eye. That’s why proper evaluation and treatment are important regardless of whether the tumor is benign or malignant.

How can you tell if I have an orbital tumor?

We typically start with a detailed examination of your eyes and surrounding tissues, followed by advanced imaging like CT or MRI scans. These studies show us the exact location, size, and characteristics of any masses in your orbit. Sometimes we need to do a biopsy to determine exactly what type of tumor it is before recommending the best treatment approach.

Will surgery for orbital tumors affect my vision?

Our primary goal is always to preserve and protect your vision during orbital tumor treatment. While there are inherent risks with any surgery around the eye, serious vision complications are rare when surgery is performed by experienced orbital surgeons. Most patients maintain good vision after tumor removal, and many actually see improvement in symptoms like double vision.

Do orbital tumors come back after treatment?

The likelihood of recurrence depends on the type of tumor and how completely it can be removed. Most benign tumors that are completely excised don’t come back. Some types of tumors have higher recurrence rates, which is why we recommend regular follow-up appointments and imaging studies to monitor for any changes.

How urgent is treatment for orbital tumors?

It really depends on what kind of tumor you have and how it’s behaving. Some tumors are troublemakers that grow fast or mess with your vision – those need to be dealt with right away. Others are slow pokes that we can just keep an eye on for a while. If it’s cancer, we usually want to get moving on treatment pretty quickly. But lots of benign tumors aren’t in any hurry, so we don’t have to be either. We’ll discuss the appropriate timing for your specific situation during your consultation.

Contact Us for a Consultation

Ready to get answers about your orbital tumor and explore your treatment options? Contact our offices in Houston, The Woodlands, or Pensacola, FL, today to schedule a personalized consultation with our expert surgeons. Let us help you understand your diagnosis and create a treatment plan that protects your vision with the specialized care and experience you need.

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Reconstructive Procedures

Orbital Tumors