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Spots before the eyes: a prevalence and clinicoradiological study of senile scleral plaques
1Radiology Department, Moorfields Eye Hospital, City Road, London, EC1V 2PD, UK.
Aims:
To investigate the prevalence and clinical associations of senile scleral plaques.
Methods:
Unselected, consecutive computed tomographic (CT) images of elderly people were reviewed for the presence of calcification indicating senile scleral plaques.
Results:
No definite calcification was seen in 100 men or 100 women aged 60-69 years; equivocal changes were seen in one woman. There were three definite examples and one equivocal case of calcification in 100 women and four definite cases in 100 men aged 70-79 years. However, in a group of 71 men and women patients aged 80 years or more, 16 definite cases were seen, indicating a prevalence of 22%.
Conclusions:
Apart from advanced age, and a mild association with the extent of calcification of the carotid siphon, no clinical or radiological features were identified which consistently characterized a total of 28 patients with this form of ocular calcification; an association with cataract probably reflected simply the recruitment base. Scleral plaques would appear to be a degenerative phenomenon without clinical significance, most likely to be detected in patients presenting with unrelated ophthalmological complaints.