I was diagnosed with hard macular drusen. Can this turn into something serious?

Question

Hello doctor,

Two years ago, I was diagnosed with mild hard macular drusen. As of last week, my doctor suggested treatment has been AREDS 2 eye vitamins, healthy eating, and cardio exercise. I have started everything along with my regular vitamins. I do not smoke or drink, and I do not have a family history of a macular generation. Can you give me more information? Can this turn into something more serious? My doctor has said that it has been the same for years, and these new treatments are preventative. Do you have any additional suggestions or recommendations? I am 25 lbs overweight, and I am currently trying to lose weight. So far, I have lost 40 lbs. I am 53 years old, and my height is 5.5 feet. I do not have any other health related issues, but I am pre-hypertensive. Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Based on your explanation, I can tell you have a dry variant of ARMD (age-related macular degeneration). This is an age-related change, and your treatment is going fine. This is the treatment recommended for this disease. No other treatment has come till date for this disease. It is wet variant is more dangerous and in follow-ups, we have to look for any conversion of the dry type to a wet type. And then other treatment modalities comes up like the intravitreal injection. I hope I have addressed your concerns. Feel free to reach out if you have any further questions. Thank you.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Dry drusens means you have dry ARMD. It can convert into wet ARMD and lead to fluid and membrane formation. No one can say that it will never be converted into a wet ARMD. You will have to keep on following it up with your ophthalmologist.