AIM: To observe whether differences exist in the retinal arteriovenous circulation time of the patients with diabetic retinopathy and exploring whether there is any correlation between the injured degree of retinal vessel and the microcirculation time.

METHODS: The study was conducted from the March 2016 to the March 2017 in order to analyze the clinical data on 60 eyes of 60 patients who were diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy by Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University.According to the result, patients were divided into mild and moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy(NPDR)group, severe NPDR group and proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR)group with 20 eyes respectively. Then we recorded the retinal arterial developing time of the three groups, namely arm-to-retinal circulation time(A1),retinal arterial branch filling time(A2), retinal venous branch laminar flow time(V1), retinal venous branch filling time(V2).

RESULTS: The findings showed that there was no statistical difference among 3 groups in the retinal arterial passage time(A2-A1)(F=1.642, P=0.157). Retinal capillary passage time(V1-A2), retinal vein passage time(V2-V1), retinal artery and vein passage time(V2-A1)were compared between the three groups, the difference was statistically significant(F=5.794, 5.180, 5.564, P=0.007, 0.009, 0.008). The PDR group was significantly longer than the mild moderate and severe NPDR group, and the severe NPDR group was significantly longer than the mild and moderate NPDR group.

CONCLUSION: The duration of DR is longer, the degree is more severely. The destruction of retinal capillaries is more serious, the time of retinal microcirculation is longer.