Drusen development occurs at which retinal interface?

Drusen development occurs at which retinal interface?

• A. Between photoreceptors and the RPE
• B. Within the outer nuclear layer
• C. At Bruch's membrane
• D. On the inner limiting membrane

Answer: (C)

Drusen form at the boundary between the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and Bruch's membrane, specifically in the sub-RPE space. These extracellular deposits accumulate at this interface (the RPE basal lamina–Bruch's membrane region) with aging and in age-related macular degeneration, and they appear as elevations of the RPE on imaging because the material sits just beneath the RPE. The other suggested interfaces are not where drusen develop: the space between photoreceptors and the RPE is the subretinal area, not where drusen form; the outer nuclear layer is a retinal neuronal layer containing photoreceptor nuclei; and the inner limiting membrane is the innermost boundary of the retina facing the vitreous.

Drusen form at the boundary between the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and Bruch's membrane, specifically in the sub-RPE space. These extracellular deposits accumulate at this interface (the RPE basal lamina–Bruch's membrane region) with aging and in age-related macular degeneration, and they appear as elevations of the RPE on imaging because the material sits just beneath the RPE. The other suggested interfaces are not where drusen develop: the space between photoreceptors and the RPE is the subretinal area, not where drusen form; the outer nuclear layer is a retinal neuronal layer containing photoreceptor nuclei; and the inner limiting membrane is the innermost boundary of the retina facing the vitreous.