As society advances and living standards improve, there is a growing emphasis on the impact of mental health on illness and the interaction between them. Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common underlying diseases, and it is often accompanied by depression and anxiety. There are also many complications of diabetes, such as diabetic retinopathy(DR). DR is the leading cause of vision loss in diabetes. Vision loss inevitably increases anxiety and/or depression, which in turn may directly or indirectly affect the treatment or progression of patients with DR. This article reviews how to determine the anxiety and depression status of patients with DR, related assessment tools and methods, and their interaction with the treatment of DR. The interaction of anxiety-depressive states with DR treatment was also discussed. This review aims to raise awareness of the mental health of patients with DR, enhance doctor-patient communication and build doctor-patient trust, thus enhancing treatment adherence and clinical efficacy for individuals with DR and helping them to improve the quality of life.