SENSITIVITY OF THE CENTRAL VISUAL-FIELD IN 70-YEAR-OLD TO 81-YEAR-OLDMALE-ATHLETES AND IN A POPULATION-SAMPLE

The sensitivity of the central visual field (0 degrees-30 degrees) was studied using an automatic Octopus 500E perimeter in elderly merle at hletes and in ct population sample of men of corresponding age. The at hletes (N=96) were endurance and power athletes, who were still active in competitive sports with training histories spanning tens of years. The athletes' results were compared with those of ct sample of men of the same age (70-81 years, N=41) randomly selected from the local pop ulation register. The sensitivity values of the athletes, and the endu rance athletes in particular were significantly better than those of t he controls, with differences varying from 1 to 2.5 dB in the differen t areas of the central visual field. Multivariate analyses of the back ground factors of visual field sensitivity showed that the most import ant were age, amount of annual training, number of chronic diseases, H DL-cholesterol level, and vital capacity. The results suggest that a l ong training history, especially of the aerobic type, may be beneficia l with respect to the sensitivity of the visual system.