Diabetic retinopathy, the most common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus, is estimated to be the leading cause of blindness in the working population in developed countries. The prevalence of retinopathy increases with the duration of diabetes and is related to hyperglycemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, pregnancy, nephropathy and anemia. The retina is a metabolically active tissue, and various biochemical, immunological and genetic mechanisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of retinopathy. Vascular disruptions are characterized by abnormal autoregulation of retinal blood flow caused by loss of the pericytes, breakdown of the inner blood-retinal barrier, thickening of the capillary basement membrane as well as damage ...