[Diagnostic and functional significance of arcus lipoides in hypercholesterolemia]

Twenty-eight patients were studied who required treatment for hypercholesterolemia type IIa. Familial hypercholesterolemia was found in 53%. Sixty percent of all patients had arcus senilis. When familial and non-familial hypercholesterolemia were compared the incidence of arcus senilis was 80% and 38%, respectively. The gradation of the condition was minor (n = 9), moderate (n = 4), or pronounced (n = 4); all patients with a strong degree and 7 of 8 patients with either moderate or pronounced arcus senilis had familial hypercholesterolemia. The mean cholesterol level was 345 +/- 82 in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia and 353 +/- 120 mg/dl in patients with non-familial hypercholesterolemia. Although the correlation between the cholesterol level and the degree of arcus senilis was higher in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia than in those with non-familial hypercholesterolemia (r = 0.45 versus r = 0.17), neither had clinical relevance. There was no connection between the cholesterol level, refraction or visual acuity. The mean contrast sensitivity measured for five different spatial frequencies in all patients was normal. In comparison with patients without arcus senilis, the mean values in patients with severe arcus senilis showed lower contrast sensitivity for the higher spatial frequencies.