Not necessarily, although the presence of drusen may indicate that your eyes are at some risk for developing AMD. Drusen are deposits that contain complex lipids (fats) and calcium and can accumulate as a person ages. It is not known how they form but it has been suggested that they are undigested waste products from RPE cells. There are two basic types of drusen: "hard" and "soft".

Hard drusen are small, round, solid deposits that sit under the RPE without causing structural damage. Most people start accumulating some drusen after the age of 40, and hard drusen alone do not impair vision. However, hard drusen may advance to soft drusen, although this does not always happen.

Soft drusen are more likely to be associated with vision loss. They are less uniform, involve a larger area under the RPE, and contain other cellular substances in addition to lipids. Development of soft drusen may cause the RPE to separate from other eye tissue layers.

It is important to understand the significance of drusen, particularly if you have a family history of Macular Degeneration. There are many people with drusen in both eyes and no impairment to their vision at all. However, it is not known who will go on to develop a vision problem and who will not, so if your eye doctor tells you there are drusen in your eyes, you should continue to seek eye care regularly, as well as use an Amsler grid to monitor your vision yourself