1. < Eye Conditions

Drusen in my eyes

Posted by chrismay24 @cmlk, May 4 6:51pm

Two years ago my doctor found Drusen in my eyes. This is what he stated:
All of your drusen are in your peripheral retina, none are in the center of your retina which is called the macula. So technically you don't even have macular degeneration! So you also don't really have to take any of those vitamins. But if you WANT to take one of those vitamins, I usually just recommend Preservision. That is widely available and reliable.
Anyone have Drusen in the peripheral retina, but later the Drusen moved to the center of your retina?

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Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | May 10 8:25pm

@chrismay24 Hi, I was just looking through our recent discussions on May Connect and saw that your question seems to have "fallen between the cracks" where we missed it for a few days.
I am familiar with macular degeneration, but not the term "drusen", so I did my ususal search on Google Scholar yo learn more.
Here is a good explanation:
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-are-drusen
Here is what the experts say: "Small drusen do not need to be treated. If your ophthalmologist finds small drusen during a routine eye exam, they may want to watch them regularly to make sure they do not become larger drusen."

Were these found during a routine eye exam, or are you having vision issues? Do you see the ophthalmologist every year or two for a complete, dilated eye exam?

REPLY
2 replies
kaye46 | @kaye46 | May 11 9:44am

My eye doctor noted the drusen in my right eye had increased and said I had macular degeneration. Only advice was to take Areds 2, which I do. Very worrying. My vision is fine so far.

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2 replies
kayabbott | @kayabbott | May 11 9:56am
In reply to @kaye46 "My eye doctor noted the drusen in my right eye had increased and said I had..." + (show)
@kaye46

My eye doctor noted the drusen in my right eye had increased and said I had macular degeneration. Only advice was to take Areds 2, which I do. Very worrying. My vision is fine so far.

Jump to this post

My dry AMD comment wasn't addressed either. I had drusen last year and in Feb. the doctors said they are much worse so AREDS 2 and carrots, more greens, omega 3. My vision also is fine so far (other than dry eye [preservative free eye drops, warm eye mask, clean eyelids]). Apparently there are also at least two types of dusen, hard and soft. The hard are not as problematic because they just sit, while the soft drusen can spread and cause more vision problems. I don't have any risk factors, other than slightly elevated HDLP (the "healthier" cholesterol, but maybe not for eyes). There is an interesting book "the country of the blind", which is more informative and upbeat than the title suggests. If dry AMD progresses, it is generally slowly over years.
https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/what-are-retinal-drusen

REPLY
1 reply
mikaylar | @mikaylar | May 11 10:37am
In reply to @kaye46 "My eye doctor noted the drusen in my right eye had increased and said I had..." + (show)
@kaye46

My eye doctor noted the drusen in my right eye had increased and said I had macular degeneration. Only advice was to take Areds 2, which I do. Very worrying. My vision is fine so far.

Jump to this post

Best you see a retina specialist. Don't mess around with this.

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kaye46 | @kaye46 | May 11 11:28am

Thanks, yes I'm going to ask for a referral.

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kaye46 | @kaye46 | May 11 11:35am
In reply to @kayabbott "My dry AMD comment wasn't addressed either. I had drusen last year and in Feb. the..." + (show)
@kayabbott

My dry AMD comment wasn't addressed either. I had drusen last year and in Feb. the doctors said they are much worse so AREDS 2 and carrots, more greens, omega 3. My vision also is fine so far (other than dry eye [preservative free eye drops, warm eye mask, clean eyelids]). Apparently there are also at least two types of dusen, hard and soft. The hard are not as problematic because they just sit, while the soft drusen can spread and cause more vision problems. I don't have any risk factors, other than slightly elevated HDLP (the "healthier" cholesterol, but maybe not for eyes). There is an interesting book "the country of the blind", which is more informative and upbeat than the title suggests. If dry AMD progresses, it is generally slowly over years.
https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/what-are-retinal-drusen

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Thanks, I didn't know there were two different kinds of drusen. I'll look for the book you mentioned.

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chrismay24 | @cmlk | May 11 2:53pm
In reply to @sueinmn "@chrismay24 Hi, I was just looking through our recent discussions on May Connect and saw that..." + (show)
@sueinmn

@chrismay24 Hi, I was just looking through our recent discussions on May Connect and saw that your question seems to have "fallen between the cracks" where we missed it for a few days.
I am familiar with macular degeneration, but not the term "drusen", so I did my ususal search on Google Scholar yo learn more.
Here is a good explanation:
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-are-drusen
Here is what the experts say: "Small drusen do not need to be treated. If your ophthalmologist finds small drusen during a routine eye exam, they may want to watch them regularly to make sure they do not become larger drusen."

Were these found during a routine eye exam, or are you having vision issues? Do you see the ophthalmologist every year or two for a complete, dilated eye exam?

Jump to this post

Thank you, Sue, for your thoughtful reply and great questions!
My optometrist at Costco, where I get my contact lenses and glasses, discovered the drusen during a routine exam. She also dilated my pupils and recommended that I see an ophthalmologist right away. I’ve now been seeing this ophthalmologist annually for the past three years, and he also performs pupil dilation during exams. At my most recent visit, he wasn’t concerned but plans to continue monitoring my vision yearly.
As my own health advocate, I also like to stay informed by doing additional research on my own.
Thank you for the link Sue.

REPLY
chrismay24 | @cmlk | May 11 2:59pm
In reply to @sueinmn "@chrismay24 Hi, I was just looking through our recent discussions on May Connect and saw that..." + (show)
@sueinmn

@chrismay24 Hi, I was just looking through our recent discussions on May Connect and saw that your question seems to have "fallen between the cracks" where we missed it for a few days.
I am familiar with macular degeneration, but not the term "drusen", so I did my ususal search on Google Scholar yo learn more.
Here is a good explanation:
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-are-drusen
Here is what the experts say: "Small drusen do not need to be treated. If your ophthalmologist finds small drusen during a routine eye exam, they may want to watch them regularly to make sure they do not become larger drusen."

Were these found during a routine eye exam, or are you having vision issues? Do you see the ophthalmologist every year or two for a complete, dilated eye exam?

Jump to this post

This image was taken in 2021.

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