Business	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Business	Business Description of Business and Organization Ophthotech Corporation (the “Company” or “Ophthotech”) was incorporated on January 5, 2007, in Delaware. The Company is a science-driven biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of novel therapies to treat ophthalmic diseases, with a focus on age-related and orphan retinal diseases. The Company's multi-track strategy is to leverage its clinical experience and retina expertise to develop therapies for large market, age-related retinal diseases, where unmet medical needs remain for these patients, and for orphan eye diseases with a focus on underserved patients, and to utilize a disciplined business development approach to obtain additional products, product candidates and technologies in these disease areas. The Company is developing Zimura® (avacincaptad pegol), its complement C5 inhibitor, for dry and wet forms of age-related macular degeneration ("AMD"), which is a disorder of the central portion of the retina, known as the macula, that may result in loss of central vision, and autosomal recessive Stargardt disease, or STGD1, which is an orphan inherited retinal disease that also may result in loss of central and peripheral vision. In June 2018, the Company in-licensed the rights to a preclinical gene therapy product candidate for the treatment of rhodopsin-mediated autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa ("RHO-adRP"). The Company is actively engaged in extensive business development efforts to identify, evaluate and potentially obtain rights to and develop additional therapeutic and gene therapy product candidates that would complement its strategic goals and leverage its competitive advantages. The Company believes that its strategy will provide multiple potential opportunities to bring ophthalmic therapies to market.

Business

Description of Business and Organization

Ophthotech Corporation (the “Company” or “Ophthotech”) was incorporated on January 5, 2007, in Delaware. The Company is a science-driven biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of novel therapies to treat ophthalmic diseases, with a focus on age-related and orphan retinal diseases. The Company's multi-track strategy is to leverage its clinical experience and retina expertise to develop therapies for large market, age-related retinal diseases, where unmet medical needs remain for these patients, and for orphan eye diseases with a focus on underserved patients, and to utilize a disciplined business development approach to obtain additional products, product candidates and technologies in these disease areas. The Company is developing Zimura® (avacincaptad pegol), its complement C5 inhibitor, for dry and wet forms of age-related macular degeneration ("AMD"), which is a disorder of the central portion of the retina, known as the macula, that may result in loss of central vision, and autosomal recessive Stargardt disease, or STGD1, which is an orphan inherited retinal disease that also may result in loss of central and peripheral vision. In June 2018, the Company in-licensed the rights to a preclinical gene therapy product candidate for the treatment of rhodopsin-mediated autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa ("RHO-adRP"). The Company is actively engaged in extensive business development efforts to identify, evaluate and potentially obtain rights to and develop additional therapeutic and gene therapy product candidates that would complement its strategic goals and leverage its competitive advantages. The Company believes that its strategy will provide multiple potential opportunities to bring ophthalmic therapies to market.