Macular edema typically occurs as the final ocular manifestation of many intraocular or systemic diseases with fluid collection within the macular layers due to the breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier. This could be chemically mediated by VEGF, because increased VEGF has been shown to increase blood-retinal barrier permeability, or mechanically induced by vitreomacular traction causing hemodynamic or retinal pigment epithelium pump disturbances. This article reviews the different clinical entities of macular edema, focusing on their physiopathological concepts and on the current therapeutic strategies for their management.