Clinical Conundrums: Case History 5- Branch Vein Occlusion

This 50 year old lady had recently returned from competing in a triathlon.  Clearly very fit, she was blissfully unaware of a surprisingly high blood cholesterol level.  Needless to say, the loss of vision in the right eye was very swift which prompted her to visit the local eye department.

Three months on she visited us.  The blood had resolved to the level seen in the first fundus picture but due to macula involvement the acuity was still 6/18.

One advantage of fundus photography is being able to step back in time.  The second photograph had been taken two years previously.

I wonder what percentage of the population, including those who are fit and outwardly healthy, should be checking their cholesterol on a regular basis?