AIM: To study the association between polymorphisms of the MMP-2 gene and diabetic retinopathy (DR). METHODS:MMP-2 C-1306T and C-735T SNPs was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restrictive fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis in 151 DR patients and 150 healthy individuals served as control. RESULTS: There is no significant difference between the patient and control groups in allele or genotype distributions of MMP-2 C-735T (P=0.263 and P=0.248). Also, there is no significant difference between the patient and control in allele of MMP-2 C-1306T (P=0.03). However the result has significant deviation of C/C, C/T, T/T genotypic frequencies between the patient and control groups in MMP-2 C-1306T (P=0.008). We found that subjects with the MMP-2 C-1306T genotype had an overall 2-fold increase in the risk of developing DR [adjusted odds ratio (OR)=2.446; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.239-4.829] compared with those with the T-1306T or C-1306T genotype. Stratification analysis showed that the MMP-2 -1306C/T and -735C/T SNPs are not associated with the development of NPDR to PDR of DR in North Chinese Han population. CONCLUSION: MMP-2 C-1306T genotypes may be associated with DR development in the Chinese population. However, there is no relationship between the MMP-2 C-735T genotypes with the development of DR.