Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Book

Drusen Bodies

In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
Affiliations
Free Books & Documents
Book

Drusen Bodies

Adam M. VanDenLangenberg et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Drusen bodies are extracellular deposits of lipids, proteins, and cellular debris which are found within the layers of the retina and appear as small, yellow deposits on dilated eye exams. Specifically, drusen reside between the basal lamina of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the inner layer of the Bruch membrane (BM). These sub-RPE deposits are seen with the progression of normal aging; however, depending on the size, number, location, and type of drusen involved, they can be associated with increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Adam VanDenLangenberg declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Michael Carson declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Heesterbeek TJ, Lorés-Motta L, Hoyng CB, Lechanteur YTE, den Hollander AI. Risk factors for progression of age-related macular degeneration. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2020 Mar;40(2):140-170. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bergen AA, Arya S, Koster C, Pilgrim MG, Wiatrek-Moumoulidis D, van der Spek PJ, Hauck SM, Boon CJF, Emri E, Stewart AJ, Lengyel I. On the origin of proteins in human drusen: The meet, greet and stick hypothesis. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2019 May;70:55-84. - PubMed
    1. Brown CN, Green BD, Thompson RB, den Hollander AI, Lengyel I, EYE-RISK consortium Metabolomics and Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Metabolites. 2018 Dec 27;9(1) - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rajapakse D, Peterson K, Mishra S, Fan J, Lerner J, Campos M, Wistow G. Amelotin is expressed in retinal pigment epithelium and localizes to hydroxyapatite deposits in dry age-related macular degeneration. Transl Res. 2020 May;219:45-62. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Khan KN, Mahroo OA, Khan RS, Mohamed MD, McKibbin M, Bird A, Michaelides M, Tufail A, Moore AT. Differentiating drusen: Drusen and drusen-like appearances associated with ageing, age-related macular degeneration, inherited eye disease and other pathological processes. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2016 Jul;53:70-106. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources