Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is a common chronic complication of diabetes mellitus, which cause irreversible damage of microvessels in the retina. DR is a leading blindness eye disease among diabetes mellitus. The pathogenesis of DR is mainly related to oxidative stress, inflammation and neovascularization. DR patients are treated with laser photocoagulation, vitrectomy and medicine in clinical trials. The traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese herb monomers have unique efficacy in the treatment of DR, especially in retinal protection, which provides valuable supplement. The paper summarized application practice and mechanism of representative Chinese herbal formulas and Chinese herb monomers in the treatment of DR, which would provide references for the clinical treatment and new drug development of DR.

国家自然科学基金项目(No.U1932130); 陕西省科技厅重点研发一般项目(No.2021SF-303); 西安医学院配套基金项目(No.2018PT24); 西安医学院大学生创新创业训练计划项目(No.121521022)