Optic disc drusen: Current approaches to clinical decision making

Abstract

This study reviews previous research on current approaches to treating patients with optic nerve drusen. While the etiopathogenesis of this condition remains unclear, its multifactorial nature and connection to numerous systemic, congenital, and genetically determined conditions have been established. Optic nerve drusen manifest clinically in a wide range of ways, from no symptoms to significant visual impairment due to direct axonal and vasocompression by the drusen material. In cases where visual examination fails to provide a diagnosis, modern physicians utilize high-resolution imaging techniques, such as ultrasonography and spectral optical coherence tomography with an enhanced depth imaging module, ensuring an accurate diagnosis. Although preventive and therapeutic approaches have been developed for managing patients with optic disc drusen, they have not yet been established as reliable guidelines. Meanwhile, the ongoing debate about the relationship between glaucomatous optic neuropathy and optic disc drusen has revealed a direct correlation between ocular hypertension and worsening of the perimeter. Thus, further fundamental research into the etiopathogenesis of optic disc drusen is required.