Choroidal naevi found in about 3.1% of adults screened in Germany
Prevalence of choroidal naevi in Germany: a cross-sectional analysis of the BiDirect study.
Mael Lever … Andreas Stang
BMC ophthalmology · 2026
Background
Choroidal naevi (choroidal naevi) are small, and mostly asymptomatic choroidal lesions.
Purpose
The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of choroidal naevi based on fundus images from participants of the prospective German BiDirect study.
Methods
With at least one 45°-wide macula-centred image of both eyes were included.
n = 1170 participants
Results
3.1%
share of screened adults found to have a harmless eye pigment spot
n = 1170 participants
More results
When fundus image was acquired, participants were aged 37-68 years (mean ± standard deviation: 54 ± 7.8) and 49% were females.
Mean visual acuity was 0.20 ± 0.2 LogMAR on both eyes.
At least one choroidal naevi was detected in 36 participants.
After age-standardization, ESP2013-prevalence was 2.6% (95% CI: 2.2-3.0).
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Conclusion · 1 of 2
In regions with demographics like those in the German BiDirect study, posteriorly localised choroidal naevi can be expected in approximately 3.1% of the population.
Conclusion · 2 of 2
However, the prevalence of choroidal naevi across the entire fundus remains difficult to determine.