AIM: To explore the relationship between insulin treatment and diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

METHODS: We collected data from 415 patients with type 2 diabetes who were treated at the Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital endocrinology unit from 2016 to 2018. The patients were divided into 6 groups based on the therapies they received and were divided into 3 groups based on the results of fundus angiography. All patients' general information were collected. Then we gathered the morning fasting venous blood and measured the fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, C peptide and analyzed the differences in fasting blood glucose, HbA1c and fasting c-peptide in patients with different drugs and retinopathy groups and the relationship between insulin dosage and the severity of DR.

RESULTS: There were differences in the proportion of diabetic retinopathy among different treatment groups, and the dosage of insulin was different among different DR groups. The cut point affect the occurrence of retinopathy of insulin is 35.7 U/d, 4.5 years.

CONCLUSION: The effect of different hypoglycemic regimens on diabetic retinopathy were different. Insulin treatment is positively correlated with the incidence and severity of type 2 diabetic retinopathy.