Editor,—Uveal melanoma is generally a disease of adulthood. It has been reported that 0.6% to 1.6% of all uveal melanomas occur in patients under 20 years of age. In a review of 3706 consecutive patients with uveal melanoma, Shields and associates found that 1.1% were children and teenagers younger than 20 years of age, of whom only 0.3% had ciliary body melanoma.

Patients with ciliary body melanoma usually are asymptomatic until the tumour impinges on the lens and causes visual distortion. Children with intraocular tumours generally have few visual symptoms and adapt to visual distortion without complaints. Leucocoria in childhood is the most frequent presenting sign of retinoblastoma, but it is generally not associated with uveal melanoma. We report an unusual case of a 9 year old child with a ciliary body melanoma who presented with leucocoria.