Optic disc drusen: complications and management.
BACKGROUND
Disc drusen have been found clinically in 0.3% of the population with up to 91% presenting bilaterally. Disc drusen gradually change in their ophthalmoscopic appearance throughout a patient's lifespan. This case highlights the possible ocular complications of disc drusen and the complexity in their treatment because of the risk of visual acuity loss.


METHODS
A 43-year-old patient with documented bilateral buried disc drusen presented without symptoms for a routine examination. A subretinal neovascular membrane (SNVM) one quarter of a disc diameter in size with an adjacent subretinal hemorrhage was observed in the right eye with a small subretinal hemorrhage in the fellow eye. The patient was evaluated by a retinologist who deferred photocoagulation of the SNVM considering its nasal disc location.


CONCLUSIONS
Diagnosing disc drusen is critical because of the serious pathology they can mimic, including disc edema. Although typically benign, patients with disc drusen should be monitored on a regular basis to rule out ocular complications, which can be potentially sight threatening.
Aumiller
Mira Silbert
MS
Wilmington Veterans Administration Medical Center, Wilmington, Delaware 19805, USA. msaumiller@yahoo.com
D000328:Adult; D018450:Disease Progression; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D017075:Laser Coagulation; D008297:Male; D015594:Optic Disk Drusen / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D015861:Retinal Neovascularization / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D014792:Visual Acuity