Chorioretinal juncture. Multiple extramacular drusen.

A clinicopathologic study of multiple extramacular drusen (MED) was performed on 784 eyes of 412 consecutive autopsies and on 100 eyes of 50 consecutive patients with MED. The clinical and histopathologic characteristics of MED and its correlation with reticular degeneration of the pigment epithelium (RDPE) and with macular degenerative abnormalities are presented. Multiple extramacular drusen was associated with macular degenerative abnormalities in 88% of autopsy cases, in contrast to 2% of cases in a control population without MED or RDPE. Multiple extramacular drusen and macular degenerative abnormalities are associated findings and apparently have similar pathogenetic mechanisms.