Hard Exudates These yellow flecks are called hard exudates. They are the lipid residues of serous leakage from damaged capillaries. The commonest cause is diabetes. Other causes are retinal vein occlusion, angiomas (Von Hippel-Lindau Disease), other vascular dysplasias, and radiation-induced retinal vasculopathy. If you think you could confuse hard exudates with other yellow-white things in the retina (yes, easily), check out Yellow-White Things in the Retina.  Previous Next

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Originally created by Jonathan Trobe, M.D., University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center © 2009 The Regents of the University of Michigan Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.