This timely publication fills a large gap in the ophthalmic literature which has so far lacked a monograph on the clinically very important subject of macular edema. The book presents the most up-to-date scientific concepts concerning the etiology and pathogenesis of blood retinal barrier breakdown such as tight junction associated protein dysfunction, and changes in fluid transport properties of the retinal pigment epithelium. The bulk of the book is clinically oriented and addresses novel imaging and diagnostic techniques for the detection of macular edema as well as the clinical context of a panoply of ocular diseases which induce macular edema, such as diabetes, other vasculopathies, uveitis, and many others. New light is shed on the association between highly active antiretroviral therapy and the induction of macular edema in HIV-positive patients. Novel drug treatment regimens with steroids and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors as well as new ways of applying laser and surgical therapies are also discussed in detail, and practical treatment guidelines are given. This book will be helpful for vitreoretinal specialists as well as for the practising ophthalmologist confronted with patients suffering from macular edema.