Age distribution and characteristics of choroidal nevi in 35 559 individuals: A nationwide study using optometry fundus photography

IF 3 3区医学 Q1 OPHTHALMOLOGY

Acta Ophthalmologica Pub Date : 2026-08-11 Epub Date: 2026-03-06 DOI:10.1111/aos.70112

Carsten Faber, Hibba Quhill, Danson Muttuvelu, Jens Folke Kiilgaard

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose

To examine the age distribution and characteristics of choroidal nevi in a large nationwide sample.

Methods

We included all individuals who underwent fundus photography in a nationwide chain of optometry stores during a 5-week period in 2023. Non-mydriatic 45° or 60° digital fundus images were reviewed asynchronously by a subspecialized ocular oncologist. All images with suspected choroidal nevi, defined as a pigmented choroidal lesion of slate blue or green grey colour, were jointly re-examined by two ocular oncologists and subsequently reviewed by a third ocular oncologist for confirmation and detailed characterization. Age, sex and geographic distribution were correlated with demographic data from the predominantly white Danish population.

Results

Fundus images from 35 559 individuals aged 5–100 years (median, 54 years; interquartile range, 40–56 years) were included, representing 0.60% of the Danish population. Gradable images of both eyes were available in 31 129 participants, and at least one gradable image was available in 33 588 participants. In total, 852 nevi were identified, corresponding to a crude prevalence of 2.54% (95% CI 2.37%–2.71%). Prevalence increased during the first 5 decades of life (0%, 0.74%, 1.40%, 2.23%, 2.87%, 2.94%, 2.88%, 2.53% and 2.51% in individuals aged <10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, 40–50, 50–60, 60–70, 70–80 and >80 years, respectively). Median largest basal diameter of nevi was 1.75 mm (interquartile range 1.33–2.30) and was only weakly associated with age (R² < 0.01; p = 0.041). According to the MOLES system, most nevi were classified as common (90.8%) or low-risk (5.28%), with fewer graded as high-risk (2.70%) or probable melanoma (1.17%).

Conclusions

The prevalence of choroidal nevi increased throughout the first 5 decades of life. Most nevi were small and lacked risk factors for malignant transformation. This indicates that the emergence of a choroidal nevus can be expected to occur by the age of 50. If supported by longitudinal studies, these findings could inform risk-based surveillance strategies to optimize resource allocation.

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35 559人脉络膜痣的年龄分布和特征：一项使用眼底摄影验光的全国性研究。

目的：探讨全国大样本脉络膜痣的年龄分布及特点。方法：我们纳入了所有在2023年为期5周的全国连锁验光店接受眼底摄影的个体。非散漫的45°或60°数字眼底图像由亚专科眼科肿瘤学家异步审查。所有疑似脉络膜痣的图像，定义为石板蓝色或绿灰色的色素脉络膜病变，由两位眼科肿瘤学家联合重新检查，随后由第三位眼科肿瘤学家进行确认和详细表征。年龄、性别和地理分布与主要来自丹麦白人的人口统计数据相关。结果：35 559名年龄在5-100岁（中位数54岁，四分位数间距40-56岁）的人的眼底图像被纳入研究，占丹麦人口的0.60%。31 129名参与者有双眼可分级图像，33 588名参与者至少有一张可分级图像。总共鉴定出852个痣，对应于2.54%的粗患病率（95% CI 2.37%-2.71%）。80岁前50年患病率上升，分别为0%、0.74%、1.40%、2.23%、2.87%、2.94%、2.88%、2.53%和2.51%。脉膜痣的最大基底直径中位数为1.75 mm（四分位数间差为1.33-2.30），与年龄仅呈弱相关（R2）。结论：脉膜痣的患病率在生命的前50年增加。大多数痣很小，缺乏恶性转化的危险因素。这表明脉络膜痣的出现可以预期发生在50岁。如果得到纵向研究的支持，这些发现可以为基于风险的监测策略提供信息，以优化资源配置。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Acta Ophthalmologica 医学-眼科学

CiteScore

7.60

自引率

5.90%

发文量

433

审稿时长

6 months

期刊介绍： Acta Ophthalmologica is published on behalf of the Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation and is the official scientific publication of the following societies: The Danish Ophthalmological Society, The Finnish Ophthalmological Society, The Icelandic Ophthalmological Society, The Norwegian Ophthalmological Society and The Swedish Ophthalmological Society, and also the European Association for Vision and Eye Research (EVER). Acta Ophthalmologica publishes clinical and experimental original articles, reviews, editorials, educational photo essays (Diagnosis and Therapy in Ophthalmology), case reports and case series, letters to the editor and doctoral theses.