What is optic nerve head drusen?

What is optic nerve head drusen?

Optic nerve drusen are abnormal deposition of protein and calcium found in the optic nerve. They can be found on the surface of the nerve or buried beneath the surface. They are found in 1-2% of the population and usually occur in both eyes but can occasionally be present in just one eye.

Can drusen be misdiagnosed?

The diagnosis of ODD is very easy in cases with superficial ODD, but most young children with ODD present with elevated optic discs due to buried drusen. Therefore, children and young adults are particularly vulnerable to misdiagnosis, such as papilledema.

How can you tell if a drusen is buried?

Signs suggestive of buried drusen of the optic nerve head include a scalloped margin of an elevated disc without a physiologic cup, anomalous vascular patterns on the disc surface, including early branching, and an increase in the number of major retinal vessels and vascular tortuosity, absence of hyperemia and dilated …

Can optic nerve drusen cause blindness?

Can drusen cause blindness? Drusen do not cause total blindness, but can result in central vision loss.

How common is optic nerve head drusen?

Optic nerve drusen are estimated to occur in about 1-2% of the population. Many cases go undiagnosed because most patients with drusen experience no visual symptoms.

Does optic drusen cause headaches?

Conclusions: Our study suggests that a majority of patients with optic disc drusen have non-specific symptoms such as visual obscurations, visual field defects and headaches despite maintaining good visual acuity. Most of the optic discs appeared abnormal, but visible drusen were observed in less than half.

How common is optic disc drusen?

HOW COMMON ARE OPTIC NERVE DRUSEN? Optic nerve drusen are estimated to occur in about 1-2% of the population. Many cases go undiagnosed because most patients with drusen experience no visual symptoms.