Vitamin A was used to treat night blindness by Egyptian physicians as early as 1500 BC. All compounds that exhibit pharmacological and physiological properties of the basic vitamin A alcohol moiety are nowadays referred to as retinoids. Retinoids have been investigated for use in the treatment of various ocular diseases such as xerophthalmia, corneal wounds, dry-eye disorders and even proliferative vitreoretinopathy. In the beginning, retinoids were administered topically by mixing them with oils or through ointments. However, more recently, the emphasis has been on developing systems for controlled release of retinoids, mainly by using biopolymers. Topical application has a great advantage in that it will overcome some of the serious side effects of systemically or orally administered retinoids. Along with the development of controlled release systems, new derivatives of currently available retinoids have been developed in order to achieve a better drug. This review summarizes various publications dealing with the local administration of retinoids either by topical route or by intravitreous route in animals and humans to treat various ocular diseases.