Peripheral fundus changes in subjects with healthy eyes (pilots)

Over a period of one year in 1980 2451 pilots between 25 and 41 years of age and 674 pilot recruits between 18 and 24 years of age were examined ophthalmologically. All the subjects tested had a visual acuity of 20/20 or better. Of this population, 16% wore glasses with refractive powers ranging up to +4.0 to -1.5 D. Fundus examination revealed microaneurysms in 8%, chorioretinal scars in 6%, paving-stones in 5%, pigmented nevi of the choroid in 4.2% and hypertrophies of the retinal pigment epithelium in 1.3%. White without pressure was seen in 11%. The incidence of formations predisposing to retinal breaks (lattice degeneration and snail tracks 9.1%, round retinal holes 1.5%) was comparable to that of other populations examined by other authors.