What causes eye freckles and when should I see an eye doctor?

There is usually no known cause for eye freckles or conjunctival nevi. Conjunctival nevus is a pigment lesion that is on the white part of your eye.

Often, these freckles remain stable with no changes and is non-cancerous. However, it can change colour over time, especially during pregnancy or puberty.

If they appear to be getting larger or changing in colour, it is advisable to get them checked out by an eye doctor. It is important that these freckles are examined by an eye doctor to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment every 6 to 12 months.

You will need to go for a surgery if the nevus does need to be removed due to any future risks, complications or melanoma.

An eye freckle is also known as nevus or iris freckle. In fact, there are many different types of freckles that can occur on different part of the eye. Majority of the time, these freckles are usually harmless. Despite that, it is important that it is monitored by a doctor. This is because there is a small chance that it could be a type of cancer called melanoma.

The most common causes of conjunctival pigmentation are the same as pigmentation that can be found anywhere else on the body. Namely:

• normal melanin hypertrophy due to age,
• sun-exposure and
• nevus formation.