Disc hemorrhage and peripapillary atrophy in apparently healthy subjects.

We estimated the prevalence of disc hemorrhage and peripapillary atrophy in apparently healthy subjects.We reviewed consecutive plain color fundus photographs of 12,140 eyes of 6,070 subjects (male/female=4,079/1,991) who visited a health consultation center.We analyzed 11,934 eyes of 5,967 subjects with good quality of photographs. Disc hemorrhage was found in 36 eyes of 35 subjects (0.6%). The prevalence of disc hemorrhage was significantly greater in women 60 years of age or older (Fisher's exact test, p=0.0004). The prevalence of peripapillary atrophy (zone Beta, zone Alpha), and suspected glaucomatous excavation in eyes with disc hemorrhage was 66.7%, 86.1% and 25.0%, respectively, and significantly greater than that (29.1%, 52.9% and 1.7%) in eyes without disc hemorrhage (Fisher's exact test, p<0.0001).Disc hemorrhage is more frequent in women over 60 years of age and is significantly associated with peripapillary atrophy in otherwise apparently healthy Japanese people.