Light eyes raise risk of cancer

HAVING blue, green or grey eyes and fair skin puts you at greater risk of eye cancer, researchers have confirmed.

They found the increased risk was linked to mutations in pigmentation genes that dictate eye and skin colour.

Eye cancer is rare in the UK, with around 530 cases a year. It is more common among white over-50s and those with light-coloured rather than brown eyes.

The scientists analysed 29 inherited genetic mutations previously linked with skin cancer to determine if there was an associated risk of a form of the disease in eyes known as uveal melanoma. They found five genetic mutations were significantly associated with eye cancer risk, the three most important of which were related to eye colour.

The American study, conducted by researchers at Ohio State University and published in the journal Scientific Reports, considered data from 270 patients, and indicated, for the first time, that there was a shared genetic susceptibility to both skin and uveal melanoma. – Daily Mail