Erythropoietin and Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the main cause of visual impairment in industrialized countries. Great efforts are in place to search for new therapies able to prevent the development of DR and the onset of its complications. At present, therapy consists of anti-VEGF intra vitreal injections and is aimed at preventing the main causes of visual impairment, that is, macular oedema and retinal proliferation. However, the current knowledge has led us to hypothesize about the roles of other factors implicated in the pathogenesis of macular oedema and retinal proliferation; erythropoietin (EPO) is one such compound.