arcus senilis (redirected from arci seniles)

arcus senilis

[senē′lis]

Etymology: L, bow, aged

an opaque ring, gray to white in color, that surrounds the periphery of the cornea. It is caused by deposits of cholesterol in the cornea or hyaline degeneration and occurs primarily in older persons. See also gerontotoxon.

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arcus [ahr´kus] (pl. ar´cus) (L.)

arch; bow.

arcus adipo´sus arcus corneae.

arcus cor´neae (arcus cornea´lis) a white or gray opaque ring in the corneal margin; it may be present at birth or appear in childhood (see arcus juvenilis), but the condition is particularly common in those over 50 years old (see arcus senilis). It results from cholesterol deposits in or hyaline degeneration of the corneal stroma and may be associated with ocular defects or with familial hyperlipidemia.

arcus juveni´lis arcus corneae in young persons.

arcus seni´lis arcus corneae in the elderly. (See Atlas 4, Part E).

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arcus senilis (är´ks senil´is),

n an opaque, grayish-white ring at the periphery of the cornea occurring in older adults.

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corneal arcus 

A greyish-white ring (or part of a ring) opacity occurring in the periphery of the cornea, in middle and old age. It is due to a lipid infiltration of the corneal stroma. With age the condition progresses to form a complete ring. That ring is separated from the limbus by a zone of clear cornea. The condition can also appear in early or middle life and is referred to as arcus juvenilis (or anterior embryotoxon); it is somewhat whiter than corneal arcus. Arcus juvenilis is often associated with heart disease in men (Fig. C19). Syn. arcus senilis; gerontoxon. See marginal furrow.

Fig. C19 Advanced corneal arcus

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arcus senilis

Geriatrics A cloudy, opaque ring around the cornea and iris which, in those younger than 50, often indicates hypercholesterolemia, but in the elderly has no significance