Adaptive optics is the imaging technique of the retina. It is applied in visualizing microscopic changes in the retinal photoreceptors and the retinal blood vessels. Introducing adaptive optics as a diagnostic tool facilitated diagnosis of inherited retinal diseases, such as Stargardt disease, cone-rod dystrophy, and retinitis pigmentosa. These diseases are often inherited in heterogenous patterns. Thus, genetic testing often fails to give a certain diagnosis. Optical coherence tomography, fundus autofluorescence, fluorescein angio­graphy, visual field examination and electrophysiological testing are vital for diagnosing patients with inherited retinal diseases. Adaptive optics imaging complements diagnosis and monitoring of conditions such as Stargardt disease and cone-rod dystrophy. In this article we sum up the main characteristics of inherited retinal diseases in adaptive optics imaging.