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.