Drusen Diagnosis and Treatment

Drusen are detected during a dilated eye exam. To check your eyes, your ophthalmologist will dilate (widen) your pupils using dilating eyedrops and examine your eyes with an ophthalmoscope, a device that allows him or her to see the retina and other areas at the back of the eye. This examination will allow him or her to see if drusen are present.

If your ophthalmologist detects large drusen, he or she may have you use an Amsler grid to check for macular degeneration symptoms such as wavy, blurry or dark areas in your vision. If your ophthalmologist thinks you have optic nerve drusen, he or she may order additional imaging tests to confirm the diagnosis.

Drusen Treatment

Small drusen do not need to be treated. If your ophthalmologist finds small drusen during a routine eye exam, he or she may want to watch them regularly to make sure they do not develop into large drusen.

Because larger drusen are a sign of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), your ophthalmologist will follow the AMD treatment appropriate for you. Trying to eliminate the drusen will not improve your AMD.

If you have optic nerve drusen without symptoms, you should be monitored regularly. There is no treatment for optic nerve drusen. In rare cases where choroidal neovascular membranes (new blood vessels growing under the retina) develop, treatment may be appropriate.