Abstract: Purtscher retinopathy is a rare condition, which is triggered by another confirmed disease or other factor, and mainly caused by the pathological changes in retina. At present, we can’t have much agreement on classification, pathogenesis and treatment. And also the research studies reported in Western and Chinese literatures are varied. In this review, through the integration of publications in this field, we provide characteristics of its epidemiology, etiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, case definition, treatment, and the comparison of different understanding between at home and abroad. At the end, we put forward some forecasts of the future research on this disease. (Int Rev Ophthalmol, 2014, 38: 134-137)