{"id":17920,"date":"2021-10-14T07:38:34","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T07:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=17920"},"modified":"2021-10-14T07:38:34","modified_gmt":"2021-10-14T07:38:34","slug":"optic-nerve-drusen-faqs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-health\/eyes-the-windows-to-your-health\/optic-nerve-drusen-faqs\/","title":{"rendered":"Optic Nerve Drusen FAQs"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Over 1 in 50 of the population develop optic nerve drusen.<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>While a very small percentage of people are found to have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-health\/eyes-the-windows-to-your-health\/what-are-optic-nerve-drusen\/\">optic nerve drusen,<\/a> it\u2019s important to know more about this eye condition.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some frequently asked questions about optic nerve drusen that may help clarify your understanding and what you should do if you are found to have the condition.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Can optic nerve drusen cause vision loss?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Optic nerve drusen can cause mild side (peripheral) vision loss that can be detected by your eye doctor using a &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-exams\/eye-exams\/visual-field-testing\/\">visual field<\/a>&#8221; analyzer.<\/p>\n<p>The side vision loss is usually not appreciated by patients and not a functional concern. Rarely the drusen can cause severe, noticeable side vision loss.<\/p>\n<h2><b>What causes optic nerve drusen?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Optic nerve drusen are caused by an abnormal deposition of a protein-like substance in the optic nerve. The origin of what causes the abnormality is unknown.<\/p>\n<p>Some people inherit optic nerve drusen, while others develop them without a family history.<\/p>\n<h2><b>How are optic nerve drusen diagnosed?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Optic nerve drusen are frequently discovered during a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-exams\/\"> routine eye exam.<\/a> When your eye doctor examines your optic nerve after dilatation, they may notice visible drusen.<\/p>\n<p>Because some drusen in the optic nerve are &#8220;hidden,&#8221; so it may be necessary to utilize imaging (such as an ultrasound or CT scan), photography (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-exams\/eye-exams\/what-is-fluorescein-angiography\/\">fluorescein angiography<\/a>), or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-exams\/eye-exams\/what-is-an-oct-eye-exam\/\">optical coherence tomography (OCT)<\/a> to diagnose buried drusen.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-health\/eyes-the-windows-to-your-health\/6-tips-for-healthy-eyes-after-50\/\">6 Tips for Healthy Eyes after 50<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">Contact an eye doctor near you<\/a> if you have a family history or drusen.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find an eye doctor near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2><b>Can the drusen get worse?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The number and size of drusen in the optic disc tend to grow with time.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Can this condition affect any family member?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Optic nerve drusen can be passed down through the family and affect first-degree relatives.<\/p>\n<p>Patients who have been diagnosed with optic nerve drusen should disclose their diagnosis with their family members so that they can be screened. Drusen typically don\u2019t appear in infants and children under the age of four.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Can optic nerve drusen be controlled?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Unfortunately, here is no proven or recognized method for preventing the optic nerve drusen from getting worse.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Is there any treatment for this condition?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>No, currently, there is no proven treatment for optic nerve drusen.<\/p>\n<h2><b>If there is no treatment for optic disc drusen, why should I have regular eye exams?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Some patients with optic nerve drusen may develop choroidal neovascularization, the formation of new abnormal blood vessels close to the optic nerve, that are prone to bleeding.<\/p>\n<p>If new blood vessels form, laser treatment may be required to avoid bleeding. This potentially dangerous problem should be checked on a regular basis.<\/p>\n<p>Regular visual field testing is also required to monitor the progression of peripheral visual field loss.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LEARN MORE:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-health\/\">Guide to Eye Health<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">Schedule an appointment with an eye doctor near you<\/a> who can detect any underlying eye conditions.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><i>These frequently asked questions about optic nerve drusen that may help clarify your chances of developing it and what you should do if you are found to have the condition.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over 1 in 50 of the population develop optic nerve drusen. While a very small percentage of people are found to have optic nerve drusen,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1206,"featured_media":17921,"parent":9992,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17920","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Optic Nerve Drusen FAQs - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-health\/eyes-the-windows-to-your-health\/optic-nerve-drusen-faqs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Optic Nerve Drusen FAQs - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Over 1 in 50 of the population develop optic nerve drusen. 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