Focal choroidal excavation (FCE) is a retinopathy, expressing with a depression in photoreceptor cell layer and retinal pigment layer towards the choroidal layer. The pathogenesis is recongized as congenital choroidal developmental abnormalities, inflammation, or infection. Based on optical coherence tomography (OCT), FCE can be classified by three methods: the situation of photoreceptor separating from the retinal pigment upper cortex, morphological features, or central choroidal thickness. FCE is usually associated with other diseases such as choroidal neovascularization. This article reviews the current clinical research on FCE.