Purpose: We report a case in which a conjunctival metastasis from a cutaneous melanoma was the first sign of metastatic disease.
Method: An excisional biopsy of an amelanotic pedunculated conjunctival lesion in a 52-year-old man showed epithelioid melanoma.
Results: Systemic examination showed widespread disseminated disease from a cutaneous melanoma that had been removed 3 1/2 years earlier. At that time, no signs of metastatic disease were detected. Despite chemotherapy, the patient died 6 weeks later.
Conclusion: Conjunctival metastasis from a cutaneous melanoma is a rare and ominous sign of widely disseminated disease.