Usually the cloudy band is about one millimetre wide and is visible in the mirror when you look closely. It has no impact on vision. This common age-related condition occurs within the cornea. It is present in 60 percent of patients between the ages of 40-60 years and in nearly all patients over the age of 80. It appears as an arc-shaped whitish deposit; it often looks dull or hazy like a milky-white or yellowish Saturn-like ring around the outer edge of your cornea and it is caused by a deposition of lipid. It almost always occurs in both eyes and is symmetrical – usually the cloudy band is about one millimetre wide and is visible in the mirror when you look closely. It has no impact on vision.

Sometimes this can appear in people under 40 and is called arcus juvenilis. In these cases the rings can be a result of high cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. People who develop arcus juvenilis are recommended to undergo a thorough blood examination to determine their cholesterol levels. Doctors will most likely advise a combination of change in dietexercise and/or cholesterol lowering medications for those with arcus juvenilis.