Is optic nerve drusen serious?

Optic nerve drusen commonly cause mild side vision loss that can be detected by machines in the doctors office called “visual field” analyzers. The side vision loss is usually not appreciated by patients and not a functional concern. Rarely the drusen can cause severe, noticable side vision loss.

How do you treat drusen optic nerve?

There’s no treatment available for drusen and they sometimes disappear on their own, but if an eye doctor notices drusen under your retina during an eye exam, they’ll likely want to monitor your eyes regularly for any changes.

How common is optic nerve drusen?

HOW COMMON ARE OPTIC NERVE DRUSEN? Optic nerve drusen are estimated to occur in about 1-2\% of the population. Many cases go undiagnosed because most patients with drusen experience no visual symptoms.

What is optic nerve head drusen?

Optic nerve drusen are abnormal deposition of protein and calcium found in the optic nerve. They can be found on the surface of the nerve or buried beneath the surface. They are found in 1-2\% of the population and usually occur in both eyes but can occasionally be present in just one eye.

Does optic nerve drusen cause headaches?

Conclusions: Our study suggests that a majority of patients with optic disc drusen have non-specific symptoms such as visual obscurations, visual field defects and headaches despite maintaining good visual acuity. Most of the optic discs appeared abnormal, but visible drusen were observed in less than half.

Does optic drusen cause headaches?

What causes drusen in the eye?

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.

Can you have drusen without macular degeneration?

Drusen are typically associated with age-related macular degeneration in people over the age of 60; however they can arise as hereditary degenerations in young people. Drusen are a risk factor for macular degeneration but having drusen does NOT mean you have macular degeneration.

Can optic nerve damage be repaired?

Unfortunately, once damaged, the optic nerve cannot be repaired since the damage is irreversible. The optic nerve is composed of nerve fibers that do not possess the ability to regenerate on their own.

Can drusen cause distorted vision?

If you have soft drusen, you may have some signs and symptoms of AMD. Over time, untreated AMD may cause blurred or distorted vision, or trouble seeing when you go from bright light to low light. You may also have a blurry or blind spot in the center of your vision.