Objective To verify the applicable significance of confocal scanning laser retinal tomography in agerelated macular degeneration (AMD). Methods Heidelberg confocal scanning laser tomography was used to measure 75 eyes of 59 patients with AMD, including 25 eyes of 20 patients with exudative AMD, 25 eyes of 16 patients with atrophic AMD, and 25 eyes of 23 patients with macular drusen. The differences of the width, volume and maximum height of Z profile signal of macula were analyzed. Results Z profile signal width in macular tomography of exudative AMD was wider than that of macular drusen; maximum height and volume in macular tomography of exudative AMD were larger than that of macular drusen (P＜0.01); Z profile signal width, maximum height，and volume in macular tomography of atrophic AMD were wider and larger than that of macular drusen (P＜0.05). Macular volume of exudative AMD was obviously larger than that of atrophic AMD (P＜0.01). Conclusion Confocal scanning laser tomography may be one of the useful methods for objective evaluation of morphologic change for the development of AMD. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 2002, 18: 262-265)