Retinal Inflammation in Diabetes

Diabetic retinopathy is a potentially blinding complication of diabetes mellitus and the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in the working age population. Diabetic retinopathy has historically been thought of as a microvascular complication of diabetes, but more recent research has shown that retinal neurons and glia are affected prior to clinically detectable vascular alterations. While treatments have been developed to address the vascular lesions of diabetic retinopathy, there are currently no treatments for the early-onset neuro-glial perturbations. Increasing evidence supports inflammation as a critical factor in the development of neuro-glial dysfunction in the diabetic retina. Inflammatory processes are further activated in retinal neurons themselves in response to diabetes. The current review focuses on inflammatory molecular and physiological changes in the diabetic retina. The emerging evidence for a relationship between retinal neurons and glia and the inflammatory cascade is explored.