The diagnosis of choroidal melanoma can be made, in the majority of cases, without too much difficulty. The exceptional case, however, challenges our diagnostic acumen, and mistakes made in these instances should be thoroughly analyzed so that a useful lesson may be learned. One of 2 mistakes may be made: Either the clinical diagnosis of a choroidal melanoma may not be substantiated on histologic examination, or a microscopically diagnosed choroidal melanoma may not have been suspected clinically. Three cases presenting a difficult diagnosis with respect to malignant melanoma recently were observed and are described so that others may appreciate our difficulties. Reports of such cases should lead to a more accurate clinical diagnosis of intraocular tumors.
Report of Cases
Case 1.
—A 30-year-old white man complained of a rather sudden loss of vision in the left eye. He claimed that his trouble commenced about 3 to 4 weeks previously. The