Pallor of the Optic Disc

Optic-disc Pallor was evaluated in 280 eyes of 140 normal subjects distributed evenly by sex and age over seven decades. From colored photographs of the disc 15×-enlarged black and white prints of high contrast were made. Relative measurements were determined from the prints. Median or 50th percentile value for area pallor/area disc was 19%; 95th percentile value was 38%. With age, pallor area relative to disc increases about 50% and enlarges more nasally than temporally. Comparison of sex and race showed that white males have larger relative areas of pallor than white females. With this technique, degree of optic-disc pallor can be evaluated quantitatively and used for further defining changes of the optic disc in glaucoma and for screening purposes.