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Drusen are made up of lipids, a type of fatty protein.  They may be the result of a failure of the eye to dispose of waste products that are produced when the cells of the eye slough off older parts of the photoreceptors. 

There are several types of drusen with different levels of risk.  Drusen can be small, hard and scattered far apart from each other.  They are round and distinct.  This type may not create vision problems for a long time and may not even be an indication of macular degeneration. 

Some drusen can become larger, softer and closer together.  Their edges are less distinct.  When they get to that stage, there is a greater risk for developing wet macular degeneration and more severe vision loss.  They can also disrupt the layers of the retina and may lead to retinal pigment epithelium detachment (PED).

Your doctor can see these drusen during a dilated eye exam, even if you are not aware of a vision change.  That is one reason why regular eye exams are so important. 

If you have the larger, soft drusen, your doctor will probably want you to come into the office for check-ups more often.  If they do lead to wet macular degeneration, early treatment is essential.

There is no treatment for dry macular degeneration and drusen.  Researchers have been searching for a way to get rid of the drusen and improve vision.  They have had some success in eliminating drusen with laser, but that didn't help the vision and even caused some other problems.  Different approaches are under investigation in clinical trials, but no data is available yet.