Nursing Edição Brasileira · Aug 27, 2026

Association of Corneal Arcus Senilis with Systemic Dyslipidemia and Ocular Aging

By Dantas GP, Rocha MDS, SOUSA MRM

Senile arcus, or arcus senilis, consists of a whitish or grayish annular opacity located at the periphery of the cornea, resulting from extracellular lipid deposition in the anterior and posterior corneal stroma. Although classically understood as a physiological manifestation resulting from the natural process of ocular aging in older individuals, its identification in young or middle-aged patients raises significant clinical suspicion of underlying systemic metabolic disorders. Given this context of dual clinical and prognostic relevance, the present study aims to conduct a systematic literature review to analyze the association of corneal arcus senilis with systemic dyslipidemia and ocular aging, highlighting its implications as an early marker of cardiovascular risk. To this end, a systematic literature search was conducted in the SciELO and LILACS databases using controlled descriptors that index high-quality Brazilian medical literature. The results demonstrate that, whereas in the geriatric population the arcus reflects the age-related increase in limbal capillary permeability to lipids, in individuals under fifty years of age its manifestation exhibits a strong epidemiological correlation with familial hypercholesterolemia and elevated plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein. It is concluded that the detailed identification of arcus senilis during routine ophthalmological examination serves as an essential diagnostic tool for clinical screening, enabling timely referral for systemic metabolic interventions aimed at preventing serious cardiovascular outcomes.

doi.org/10.36489/nursing.2026v32i340p16628-16631Open accessBiomarkers