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Adult-onset foveomacular dystrophy (AOFVD) is a retinal pattern dystrophy that may affect up to 1 in 7,400 individuals. There is much that is unknown regarding this disease’s epidemiology, risk factors for development, and rate of progression through its four stages. Advancements in retinal imaging over the past 15 years have enabled improved characterization of the different stages of AOFVD. These imaging advancements also offer new ways of differentiating AOFVD from phenotypically similar retinal diseases like age-related macular degeneration and Best disease. This review synthesizes the most recent discoveries regarding imaging correlates within AOFVD as well as risk factors for the development of AOFVD, complications of AOFVD, and treatment options. Our aim is to provide ophthalmologists a succinct resource so that they may offer clarity, guidance, and appropriate monitoring and treatments for their patients with suspected AOFVD.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a neurodegenerative disease of the aging retina, in which patients experience severe vision loss. Therapies available to patients are limited and are only effective in a sub-population of patients. Future comprehensive clinical care depends on identifying new therapeutic targets and adopting a multi-therapeutic approach. With this goal in mind, this review examines the fundamental concepts underlying the development and progression of AMD and re-evaluates the pathogenic pathways associated with the disease, focusing on the impact of injury at the cellular level, with the understanding that critical assessment of the literature may help pave the way to identifying disease-relevant targets. During this process, we elaborate on responses of AMD vulnerable cells, including photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelial cells, microglia, and choroidal endothelial cells, based on in vitro and in vivo studies, to select stressful agents, and discuss current therapeutic developments in the field, targeting different aspects of AMD pathobiology.