Is drusen common in children?

Is drusen common in children?

Optic disc drusen occur in 0.4% of children and consist of acellular intracellular and extracellular deposits that often become calcified over time. They are typically buried early in life and generally become superficial, and therefore visible, later in childhood, at the average age of 12 years.

Is drusen serious?

Developing a few small drusen as you get older is usually a harmless and normal part of aging, but having large numbers of drusen could mean you have AMD. Over time, AMD can degrade your central vision, making it difficult to see things that are right in front of you.

Are you born with drusen?

Drusen occur in about 1% of people, more commonly in caucasians. They are typically not present at birth. They become visible to eye doctors usually in the teens, and may become more prominent with age.

Can drusen be misdiagnosed?

The diagnosis of ODD is very easy in cases with superficial ODD, but most young children with ODD present with elevated optic discs due to buried drusen. Therefore, children and young adults are particularly vulnerable to misdiagnosis, such as papilledema.

Is drusen hereditary?

Hard drusen are prevalent in young adults, and having more than 20 drusen per eye is a highly hereditary feature.

What causes drusen formation?

Drusen is a German word that means “rock” or “geode.” They are like tiny pebbles of debris under the retina. The cause of the drusen deposits is related to a type of “garbage” disposal problem. Retinal cells dump unwanted material, and immune cells normally clean up most of it.

Is hard or soft drusen worse?

Hard vs. Soft Drusen. “Hard” drusen are small, and indicate lower risk of future vision loss than “soft” drusen, which are larger, cluster together, and have edges that are not as clearly defined.

What causes drusen to form?

Can drusen disappear?

Drusen have a dynamic nature as they can enlarge, newly form, or disappear over time [2-4]. There have been case reports on drusen disappearance after macular hole surgery [5-7]. Macular hole surgery has also been associated with the development CNV [8-10].

Can drusen go away?

There was a study done a few years ago where laser was applied to areas around drusen, in people who did not have macular degeneration. It was noted that the drusen went away and the hope was that this would prevent them from having any other problems.

What is drusen made of?

Drusen are yellow deposits under the retina. Drusen are made up of lipids, a fatty protein. Drusen likely do not cause age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

What is optic nerve drusen?

Visual information received by the eye is transmitted to the brain along the optic nerve. Optic nerve drusen are abnormal collections of protein and calcium that accumulate within the optic nerve. Drusen are often present in both eyes (bilateral), but sometimes occur in only one eye (unilateral).