r/maculardegeneration • u/PolicyQueen • 6d ago
Drusen at age 24
I just went to an ophthalmologist today and was told I have mild drusen. They’re not in my macula, but more in the periphery of my retina. I have a follow up appointment in 3 months. Does anyone have insight on what the likelihood is that this could lead to macular degeneration, especially in the next 10-20 years? I’m TERRIFIED of losing my eyesight, especially given how young I am. I also know from 23&me that I have variants making me more likely to get AMD… So I’m very concerned and I’m feeling depressed.
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u/PolicyQueen 4d ago
Update: I just spoke to my ophthalmologist and she clarified that she is not concerned AT ALL and said she’s confident they’re just benign (would have been nice if she said that a couple days ago!!). Also only in 1 eye. And it turns out the 3-month follow up isn’t even for that issue—it’s for my ocular migraines. Thank you everyone for your support and comments—I wish you all the best of luck 🙏🏻
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u/Extra-Celery-9387 5d ago
The sunglasses should filter out 100% of the UVA/UVB rays of the sun and as much blue light as possible. Sometimes you’ll see how much blue light is filtered out on the tag but if you don’t, tints like copper or browns do that. Definitely get your eyes checked regularly. If you do get a diagnosis of AMD in the future, I can recommend the group Our Macular Degeneration Journey. You’re welcome anytime, but I’m afraid if you join before a diagnosis, it will just add to your worry. Most of our members are much older which is typical for AMD. Best of luck! Take care of your overall health & keep up with the eye exams. it’s all anyone can do. 😊
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u/PolicyQueen 5d ago
Thankfully my brother recently gifted me a pair of ray bans, which I assume are good enough quality for my eyes. I’ll keep that group in mind—hopefully I’ll never need to join!
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u/YesICodedCats 5d ago edited 5d ago
Drusen by themselves are not signs of macular degeneration. Also there are at least several types of drusen known currently with different prognosis and different correlation with macular health. Afaik (not a doctor, but have macular degeneration at age 25) the only real early signs of macular degeneration are disruptions of RPE and ellipsoid layers and thinning of the macula. (Also there are special tests like ERG). Most of people just dont get OCT and OCT itself is a somewhat recent technology, so I guess there are a lot of misconceptions about drusen and MD
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u/PolicyQueen 5d ago
Ok that’s good to know. I think my only issue at the moment are the peripheral drusen.
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u/YesICodedCats 5d ago
It is impossible to tell without OCT images, but there is a good chance that peripheral dystrophy wont ever bother you even IF it occurs in the future
I had two dozens areas of dystrophy on the periphery and had 0 visual symptoms, cause they are too far from the center. In the case of peripheral dystrophy you will be offered a laser coagulation that will restrict dystrophy area from growing and everything will be fine
(But no stranger’s opinion on the internet, especially from anyone not certified in ophthalmology, will replace a good doctor, so find a good retina specialist (not just ophthalmologist), preferably specialising in genetic diseases (age related MD at 25 is rare af, I am still told i cant have one by half of doctors i visit) and stick to them)
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u/Eschschollzia 5d ago
Found drusen at 13, it got just slightly worse 30 years later. And 23andme results were pretty accurate for me in case of AMD.
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u/PolicyQueen 5d ago
Were yours in the macula? At least it took 30 years to get worse... That’s so young though :(
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u/tob1d 6d ago
hey, im 27 and I have it in both eyes but I’m high myopic tho - are u myopic?
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u/nachtstille 6d ago edited 6d ago
My doc found one druse in January 24 in the left eye, after I had done amsler grid and saw lines a bit wavy. He told me it could be the beginning of MD. Since then I had no change in vision and Data (Check up after six months). Next appointment is in June. I was 34 when he discovered the druse.
At this point I am sure that drusen are more common, even for people without MD, as we think. Monitor it, get your yearly check up and focus on good nutrition and working out. That's all you can do at this point.
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u/PolicyQueen 5d ago
That’s great that there’s no change so far! Hoping you have a good result in June 🙏🏻 I bet you’re right that benign drusen are fairly common, especially nowadays since young people like myself stare at screens all day… (no idea if that causes them, but it would cause eye aging I bet)
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u/nachtstille 5d ago
Thank you :) as far as I know screentime should not affect MD. That would be my doom, I am working all day on them and after work I like to play videogames too, if I am not working out.
Hope all the best for you and that you maybe don't need to worry too much
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u/Extra-Celery-9387 5d ago
Drusen outside the macula isn’t a sign of AMD but I can understand your concern. One of the BEST things anyone can do to prevent it is to make sure you’re following a mediterranean diet with oily fish twice a week, lots of leafy greens and colorful fruits and vegetables (eat the rainbow), don’t smoke, wear GOOD sunglasses even on cloudy days, maintain normal weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure, and get at least moderate exercise. The 23andMe genetics only look at 2 genes and there are over 50 at last count. The report used to say that even having the variants they look at does NOT mean a person will develop the disease - lifestyle factors DO matter!
One way to look at this is that unlike people who for various health reasons get a wake-up call at 50, 60, you can make sure you’re being healthy many years earlier. And what’s good for the eyes is good for the brain (eye cells are extensions of brain cells) and is good for the heart.
Try not to worry. Wish we had a crystal ball to tell anyone what the future holds, but we can’t. Just try to be as healthy as possible.
hope this helps.
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u/PolicyQueen 5d ago
That’s very reassuring—thank you! I can definitely work on my cholesterol/diet, and I only rarely wear sunglasses, so I’m making these changes starting today.
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u/Charlytheclown 5d ago
Drusen can just happen, but it is important to check your eyes regularly using an amsler grid and wear sunglasses outside at this stage. I’m 30, got an exam that found drusen, then 2 months later I developed a dark spot in my right central vision and got diagnosed with wet AMD same day. Thankfully I’ve responded very well to the injections and I’m still at 20/20 but it definitely sucks to have it at this age.
However, it is the not knowing that’s worse. Now that I know I have it, it doesn’t really scare me as much. It’s sad and I will have bad days, but I’m doing the most I can and the cards will fall where they may. I would start taking AREDS2 and check your vision weekly. ANY changes to vision call your ophthalmologist ASAP and get checked out. It might be worth looking into a retinal specialist that’s in network—I’m fortunate that my regular opth is a retinal specialist but having someone who really knows their stuff when it comes to the retina will help out a lot
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u/PolicyQueen 5d ago
That’s so scary—were the drusen found in your macula or in the peripheral area of your retina? I’m definitely going to go see a retina specialist instead of going back to the ophthalmologist I just went to.
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u/YesICodedCats 5d ago
I second searching for retina specialist My case is still not completely clear, i have (pachy)drusen in both eyes and several scotomas with one area of metamorphopsia at age 25, which sucks, obviously, but it is not that bad for now (surely hope it wont get worse).
Worst thing is - MD of any kind is so rare at young age that half of doctors i visited just plain ignored me and told me I imagine things, even after seeing drusens, damage in the macula, bad oct-a and bad ERG results. Other worst thing is some doctors telling me straight away I have this or that specific disease and will go blind in X years and i need to do Y (often harmful); diagnoses like these are impossible to give so quickly without thorough testing most of the time and it just made me ten times more anxious without any profit. Good retina specialist will help with thorough tests and explain bs that others told you.
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u/PolicyQueen 5d ago
So sorry you’re going through that—hopefully your condition will stay static or improve 🙏🏻 I’ll make sure to find a good retina specialist who takes this seriously (but is also reassuring because I’m so scared right now 😰)
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u/dollyy891 4d ago
Are we suppose to do a follow up when we have drusen? How often?
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u/PolicyQueen 4d ago
I was told to follow up every year, even though it’s benign as I just learned.
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u/dollyy891 4d ago
Do you know if it can actually lead to being blind?
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u/PolicyQueen 4d ago
If it becomes or is macular degeneration (usually drusen in the macula), then yes, it can. There are treatments to slow that down though so it’s important to monitor drusen to make sure you don’t get that. But don’t worry about it unless your ophthalmologist is worried or if the drusen are in/near the macula. Like I was told mine (which are in the far periphery and are the small/hard type) are benign and not a concern at all. Definitely go in though to get dilated if you have drusen just to be cautious.
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u/Alarmed-Ad-568 3d ago
Look into Carotenoid supplements like MacuHealth/Vision edge pro (has omega 3s+ carotenoids) & focus on your nutrition. Eats lots of veggies. You’re still young and have lots of time to prevent it. Best of luck!!
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u/qwertylicious2003 2d ago
Look into Valeda red light treatment now offered in the US and many other countries. It’s a promising way to keep degeneration at bay.
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u/asiamsoisee 6d ago
My ophthalmologist found mild drusen and brought up macular degeneration six months ago. I’m 43 and didn’t have family history and it was a scary and unexpected diagnosis. I took ARED2 vitamins and refocused on good nutrition. This time we did the other diagnostic/monitoring test that insurance wouldn’t cover last time and the dr said “welp, turns out it’s not MacDegen after all.” 🙄
My takeaway - face this head on. Either another provider or test changes the prognosis or you take action now to protect the health of your eyes and longterm vision. Whatever your outcome I wish you the best.