'Do I have it right now?'
i have no idea. although i doubt your optometrist would have used the word 'drusen' if she meant 'macular degeneration'. those are not the same thing. drusen are usually spots that the doctor sees inside, but that the patient has no real symptoms for. MD is when the patient has obvious vision loss.
'Is it too late for most of these interventions?'
absolutely not too late. the more you do, the better off you'll be.
'is there any way to control or eliminate drusen development?'
eat right, lose weight, exercise, take ocuvite or a related mulitvitamin product, stop smoking if you're a smoker, wear UV protection as much as possible, etc etc
Thanks, Dr. Prince. Are drusen fairly common? Are they typically seen in a 43 year old's eyes? Could three "pinpoint" drusen on the edge of the macula lead to macular degeneration? I wish I lived close to your practice!
-Rod in Wisconsin
"Thanks, Dr. Prince. Are drusen fairly common? Are they typically seen in a 43 year old's eyes? Could three "pinpoint" drusen on the edge of the macula lead to macular degeneration? I wish I lived close to your practice!"
macular drusen are fairly common. and although not a GREAT sign, also not considered to be necessarily all that concerning, especially if vision is not affected.
yes, it is possible that this is the early stages of MD. but thats certainly not a given. the fact that you have visible drusen probably increases your risk/probability of eventually developing MD, but again certainly not a given. drusen in and of themselves are not MD and do not necessarily lead to MD.