Is drusen in children serious?
Is drusen in children serious?
Sometimes when the margins of the optic nerve are blurred by drusen it can appear as though the nerve is swollen. Swelling of the optic nerves is called “papilledema,” and is a serious condition which indicates the pressure in the brain is too high.
Can drusen be benign?
When small and few, drusen are generally benign. If the amount or size of these deposits increases, the risk of dry age-related macular degeneration develops. Age-related macular degeneration, AMD, is a leading cause of vision loss.
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.
How do you treat drusen?
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.
What is drusen syndrome?
Drusen are the defining feature of macular degeneration. These small yellow or white spots on the retina can be detected by an ophthalmologist during a dilated eye exam or with retinal photography. People with more than a few small drusen are said to have early age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
When do optic nerve drusen appear in children?
Drusen usually become visible after the first decade of life, but can be seen before age ten in some children. Often they are present in both eyes (bilateral), but sometimes occur in only one eye (unilateral). The pictures below show the inside of the eye.
Is there any way to stop the development of drusen?
Taking mega vitamin supplements or making dietary changes will not make existing drusen go away. However, nutritional supplements that contain specific nutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and copper, may slow the development of drusen and even the progression of macular degeneration in some cases.
Is there any treatment for optic nerve drusen?
There is no effective treatment for drusen. For the rare case of choroidal neovascularization (see above) laser treatment may be indicated to treat bleeding.
What are the different types of drusen in the body?
It also has many veins and arteries that keep it functioning. Drusen are tiny pockets of debris that build up over time. Researchers have identified two different types of drusen: hard drusen, which are small and tend to be spread out, and soft drusen, which are larger and cluster together.
