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.

Do drusen always lead to 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.

What causes drusen to form?

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. However, if too much is dumped, or it is not properly packaged for disposal, or the immune cells don't function efficiently, it can pile up.