Hi Macca22,

A mole at the back of the eye isn't common but it can happen. Sometimes they are benign and sometimes they are cancerous. Have you had regular eye checks and this is the first time it's been found or is it many years since your last eye test? Hopefully it's something that you've had for some time without realising & it will be found to be benign.

I know that when my optician referred me to the eye hospital (for high blood pressure in the eye) it first went to my GP & then they referred me (I don't think all opticians can refer direct without it going through a NHS GP). It did take some time so 6 weeks is probably the average wait. However, if I was in your position, I would contact your GP to explain the situation, see if they have received the optician's referral letter & ask if the referral will be done by the GP or the optician direct. Ask, because it's a mole, if the referral could fall within the 2 week cancer referral criteria. You really shouldn't have to wait for the usual optician > hospital 6 week referral if it's a more urgent problem than the usual eye conditions that they deal with ie. high blood pressure etc. Hopefully it can be fast tracked to save you some of the anxiety that the wait will cause.

Good luck & please let us know how you get on,

Angie (melanoma patient)

Hi Angie,

Thanks for your reply. I think he said that he would send the referral directly to the hospital and would send a copy to my GP. He also said to contact him or my GP if I hadn't heard anything in 6 weeks. 

I have been having normal eye tests every 2 years and no one has ever mentioned this mole. But because of this new medication I started a few weeks ago carries a risk of damaging the retina, this was the first time I had drops to dialate my eyes and this was when it was seen. So I don't know how long it has been there. 

Its been nearly a week, so it should be enough time to have been received. I will give my GP a call to see if they have it on Monday and see if it has any more info on it and the potential wait. The optician didn't mention cancer, but I don't suppose he would. He just said it's a mole, like you get on your skin. 

I'll let you know how I get on. 

Thanks again

Amy 

Can I ask how this went for you ? .

Today my daughter went for an eye test as her teacher noticed squinting and she has been complaining about headaches recently , the optometrist found a mild prescription but also noticed a large mole 5 disc in size on the back of her eye , this wasn't their at her last eye test roughly 2/3 years ago and he has sent an urgent fax to our local hospital for her to be seen . Since she is only 6 I'm an naturally worried but trying not to be . Sorry to ask 

Thanks Elizabeth 

Hi, I had this a few years back when I was about 30. I had noticed a small blind spot in my peripheral vision, went to the GP who wasn't too concerned but also like you suggested I was better to be seen by my optician.

They referred me to my local eye hospital and to cut a long story short said I had a mole at the back of my eye. I remember them saying it was more common than you think, and they monitored me yearly for around 5 years. My blind spot is still there but I never notice it. It's easier said than done but try not to worry. X

Thank you for the reassurance , the optician seemed very dismissal at the appointment , I explained we had a lot of eye referrals when she was much younger due to a lazy eye and previous 2 eye tests with photography but he insisted it was a birth mark but then rang us up 2 hours later to explain he has checked all her recent history and I was correct their was nothing their before and it covers half the back of her eye now , he was then going to fax the hospital as urgent , I will keep you updated but just took the wind out of me a bit yesterday .