Diabetic retinopathy(DR)due to disturbance of carbohydrate metabolism is the most serious ocular complication in patients with diabetic disease, and diabetic macular edema(DME)is one of the main causes of vision loss. It is considered that many factors are involved in DME pathological process. DME is defined as an abnormal thickening of the macular associated with the accumulation of excess fluid in the extracellular space of the neurosensory retina. Nowadays, the main treatment methods of DME include pharmacotherapy, laser photocoagulation and surgery. Inflammatory components within the vascular tissue play an important role in the development of DME, so drug therapy is an important method for DME. In this review, we summarized the risk factors and the current pharmacotherapy situation of DME.