Drusen.

[RobertJ]

I am a 21 year old male who does not smoke, drink, or use illegal drugs. I went and a Fluorescein Angiography done on both eyes today, because of a spot in my top right central vision of my left eye. The best way to describe the spot is if I see a closed door and look at the black line between the closed door and the door frame, the black line looks normal except for a spot where the white flows over into the black line. There was no leakage in the Fluorescein Angiography, so that is a good thing.  There was what he said "looks like drusen" and there is a similar spot on the other eye.  He said that the retina seems to be changing in that area of my left eye.   The game plan of my DO (not OD!) is to send me to a retinal specialist on the 29th, at the same eye center, who will be new to the eye center (it will be his second day when I go in).   One other thing he said was not to worry because it may turn out to be not too much at all (or something along those lines). He said the retinal specialist may put me on supplements and told me to eat more green vegetables and wear sun glasses (which I do already literally every time I go outside for any extended period of time)

My questions are.  1) Can a drusen spot with the symptom I described above be a normal aging process not associated with dry macular degeneration, or is that already called macular degenration since I am having visual symptoms in the same spot I have drusen.  2) Is it common for someone to have what I described and that is all that comes of it?

Thank you!

[RobertJ]

Thank you so much.  This site is great.  Have a great weekend!

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

It is not normal for you to have drusen, but that does not necessarily mean that you have some terrible eye disease.  It is possible that the few drusen have absolutely nothing to do with your symptoms at all.  Perhaps you could have central serous chorioretinopathy which might look somewhat similar and might not always show up on the angiogram if the leakage had already started to dry up.  Just a thougt.  The retinal specialist should be able to answer all your questions.

Michael Kutryb, MD