The slow progression of non-exudative age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD) presents challenges for drug discovery. The standard endpoint used for ophthalmic clinical trials, best-corrected visual acuity, is insensitive to the early stages and slow progression of dry AMD. Effective drug discovery for dry AMD treatments will therefore require novel applications of more effective visual function endpoints. This review will present candidates for visual function endpoints for dry AMD clinical trials. The promising visual assessments include contrast sensitivity, reading speed, microperimetry, and dark adaptation. Their adoption as exploratory endpoints in future trials will be critical for determining their accuracy, precision, and applicability, and ultimately determine their value for drug discovery.