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Review
. 2022 May 26;12(2):138-146.
doi: 10.4103/tjo.tjo_18_22. eCollection 2022 Apr-Jun.

Subretinal drusenoid deposits: An update

Manuel Monge  1 , Adriana Araya  2 , Lihteh Wu  2   3
Affiliations
Review

Subretinal drusenoid deposits: An update

Manuel Monge et al. Taiwan J Ophthalmol. .

Abstract

A wide spectrum of phenotypic manifestations characterizes age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Drusen is considered the hallmark of AMD and is located underneath the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). In contrast, subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDDs), also known as reticular pseudodrusens, are located in the subretinal space, on top of the RPE. SDDs are poorly detected by clinical examination and color fundus photography. Multimodal imaging is required for their proper diagnosis. SDDs are topographically and functionally related to rods. SDDs cause a deep impairment in retinal sensitivity and dark adaptation. SDDs are dynamic structures that may grow, fuse with each other, or regress over time. An intermediate step in some eyes is the development of an acquired vitelliform lesion. The presence of SDD confers an eye a high risk for the development of late AMD. SDD leads to macular neovascularization, particularly type 3, geographic atrophy, and outer retinal atrophy.

Keywords: Age-related macular degeneration; outer retinal atrophy; pseudodrusen; reticular drusen; reticular macular disease; reticular pseudodrusen; retinal angiomatous proliferation; subretinal drusenoid deposit; type 3 macular neovascularization.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interests of this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Near infrared reflectance image of an eye with SDD
Figure 2
Figure 2
Spectral domain optical coherence tomograpic (SD-OCT) image of an eye with SDD and its corresponding near infrared (NIR) imaging. The horizontal line in the NIR image denotes the level of the SD-OCT scan
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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