Increasing research interest in AMD and other macular diseases has re-focused efforts to develop a more comprehensive animal model of the disease, other than the currently available common laboratory mouse and rat. A major drawback in animal studies of AMD on mice and rats is the absence of a macula, the primary part of the retina affected in AMD and other maculopathies. As the prevalence of AMD and diabetic macular edema are set to rise in line with global demographic changes, the demand for an improved understanding of the etiology and the availability of a more representative pre-clinical model is scheduled to increase over the coming decades.