Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common cause of vision loss with few effective treatments available to prevent retinal degeneration long-term. Challenges associated with treatment development are due in part to a lack of understanding of the mechanisms underlying disease onset. However, diseases of ageing are challenging to model. Here, features of diurnal fish models that are beneficial for studying ageing retinal diseases are highlighted, and the unique characteristics of ageing zebrafish, turquoise killifish, and medaka retinas are summarised.