Objective To investigate the findings from the imaging and pathogenesis of circinate retinopathy. Methods This was a retrospective study. Four hundred and sixty-six patients who were diagnosed with circinate retinopathy with fundus angiography at Henan Eye Institute were enrolled. The disease etiology, clinical features and imaging characteristics were analyzed. Results Circinate retinopathy is characterized by one or several yellowish-white hard exudates enclosed in the lesion source, which show distinct imaging characteristics. Diabetic retinopathy (285/466, 61.2%) was the most common cause of circinate retinopathy, followed by age-related macular degeneration (70/466, 15.0%), branch retinal vein occlusion (48/466, 10.3%), Coats′ disease (35/466, 7.5%), retinal macroaneurysm (20/466, 4.3%), retinal angioma (5/466, 1.1%), macular capillary expansion (2/466, 0.4%) and polypoid choroid vascular lesions (1/466, 0.2%). Conclusion Circinate retinopathy is a type of clinical manifestation that many retinal vascular diseases share. Therefore, an awareness of primary diseases can help to improve the diagnosis and treatment of circinate retinopathy.