Focal choroidal excavation is a choroidal morphological abnormality that has been recognized with the widespread application of optical coherent tomography. It can exist alone or in combination with or secondary to other chorioretinopathies, so investigators have applied many classification methods, but its pathogenesis is currently not completely understood. We summarize the latest progress in focal choroidal excavation and offer a rethinking of the pathogenesis of focal choroidal excavation.