Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)is applied progressively in evaluating the anatomic structure and function of visual system, such as conventional MRI, diffusion tensor imaging(DTI), functional MRI(fMRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy(MRS), manganese-enhanced MRI(MEMRI), and so on. Conventional MRI detects morphological changes of visual system; DTI and MEMRI are mainly applied to observe the microscopic structure changes of visual system; fMRI can examine the changes of functional response at visual cortex resulting from visual system diseases; MRS is significantly important in investigating intracerebral metabolism changes related with visual system diseases. Separate or combined application of these imaging technologies is of great value in the diagnosis, follow-up monitoring and curative effect assessment of visual system diseases, the clinical applying of these technologies will be widely spread in the future.