Age-related macular degeneration(AMD) is a complex disease with multiple risk factors. Although the pathogenesis and etiology remain largely unclear, systematic investigation into the genetics of this disease has cumulated during the past two decades that leads to putative mechanisms and genes associated with AMD. In this review, the development of genetic studies on AMD was summarized. While we intend to perform a comprehensive citation of all published works on AMD genetics, we find that we have to filter out some reference papers and focus on those reports bearing more information and insight into AMD genetics and its molecular pathology. We have worked on a selection of observations and supporting references that illustrate a picture of the genetic processes that eventually lead to the development of AMD and related complications.