Number of equity compensation plans.

No definition available.

Name:	aeri_NumberOfEquityCompensationPlans
Namespace Prefix:	aeri_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Remaining Recognition Period

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	aeri_SharebasedCompensationArrangementbySharebasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOptionsOutstandingWeightedAverageRemainingRecognitionPeriod
Namespace Prefix:	aeri_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Remaining Recognition Period

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	aeri_SharebasedCompensationArrangementbySharebasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherthanOptionsOutstandingWeightedAverageRemainingRecognitionPeriod
Namespace Prefix:	aeri_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Non-Option Equity Instruments, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Exercise Price

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	aeri_SharebasedCompensationArrangementbySharebasedPaymentAwardNonOptionEquityInstrumentsGrantsinPeriodWeightedAverageExercisePrice
Namespace Prefix:	aeri_
Data Type:	num:perShareItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of cost not yet recognized for nonvested award under share-based payment arrangement.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognized
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of cost to be recognized for nonvested award under share-based payment arrangement. Excludes share and unit options.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognizedShareBasedAwardsOtherThanOptions
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Period over which grantee's right to exercise award under share-based payment arrangement is no longer contingent on satisfaction of service or performance condition, in 'PnYnMnDTnHnMnS' format, for example, 'P1Y5M13D' represents reported fact of one year, five months, and thirteen days. Includes, but is not limited to, combination of market, performance or service condition.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardAwardVestingPeriod1
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The number of grants made during the period on other than stock (or unit) option plans (for example, phantom stock or unit plan, stock or unit appreciation rights plan, performance target plan).

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsGrantsInPeriod
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The number of equity-based payment instruments, excluding stock (or unit) options, that vested during the reporting period.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardEquityInstrumentsOtherThanOptionsVestedInPeriod
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Number of equity instruments other than options outstanding, including both vested and non-vested instruments.

+ References

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (c)(1)(ii)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=116856206&loc=d3e5070-113901

Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 718
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (c)(1)(i)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=116856206&loc=d3e5070-113901

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardNonOptionEquityInstrumentsOutstandingNumber
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Number of shares authorized for issuance under share-based payment arrangement.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardNumberOfSharesAuthorized
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Gross number of share options (or share units) granted during the period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardOptionsGrantsInPeriodGross
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:sharesItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_PlanNameAxis=aeri_TwoThousandandFiveAeriePharmaceuticalStockPlanMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_PlanNameAxis=aeri_TwoThousandAndThirteenOmniBusIncentivePlanMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_PlanNameAxis=aeri_InducementAwardPlanMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=us-gaap_RestrictedStockMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	srt_RangeAxis=srt_MinimumMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	srt_RangeAxis=srt_MaximumMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=aeri_RestrictedStockWithNonMarketPerformanceConditionsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis=us-gaap_StockAppreciationRightsSARSMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

Stock-Based Compensation - Additional Information (Detail) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2019 USD ($) plan $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2017 shares	Dec. 31, 2018 shares	Jun. 07, 2018 shares	Dec. 07, 2016 shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Non-Option Equity Instruments, Outstanding, Number	129,406
Number of equity compensation plans \| plan	3
Additional awards granted (in shares)	914,790
Granted (in shares)	57,851
Granted (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 43.40
2005 Aerie Pharmaceutical Stock Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Additional awards granted (in shares)	0
2013 Omnibus incentive plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Equity awards (in shares)	10,229,068			4,500,000
Inducement Award Plan
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Equity awards (in shares)	874,500				418,000
Employee Stock Option
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation expense \| $	$ 73.3
Weighted-average remaining vesting period	2 years 8 months 12 days
Restricted stock
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested awards \| $	$ 29.1
Weighted-average of remaining vesting period	2 years 10 months 24 days
Granted (in shares)	392,784
Vested (in shares)	203,077
Restricted stock \| Minimum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based awards, vesting period	1 year
Restricted stock \| Maximum
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based awards, vesting period	4 years
Restricted Stock With Non-Market Performance Conditions
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Granted (in shares)		98,817
Vested (in shares)	69,171
Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Non-Option Equity Instruments, Outstanding, Number			91,000