Electrophysiological studies investigating the relationship between amblyopia and retinal function have in the past produced conflicting findings, leaving the retinal correlates of amblyopia, if they exist, unknown. Recent advances in technology, and in particular the emergence of optical coherence tomography, has resulted in further investigations of the retinal nerve fibre layer and macula of amblyopia patients using these instruments. This review summarises the recent literature in this area and discusses various issues relating to this research.