Objective: To observe the clinical therapeutic effect of laser acupuncture on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) of qi and yin deficiency type. Methods: Laser acupuncture was used to treat 32 patients of T2DM. Acupoint selection: Feishu (BL13), Pishu (BL20), Shenshu (BL23), Wanxiashu (EX-B3), Sanyinjiao (SP6) and Zusanli (ST36). It took 20 min in each treatment, five treatments a week. There were 2 days of interval in 2 weeks of treatment. Before and after treatment, the changes in fasting plasma glucose (FPG), postprandial 2 h glucose (2hPG), fasting insulin (FINS), glycosylated albumin (GA), insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) and the symptom score of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) were observed in the patients. The therapeutic effect was evaluated. Results: Of 32 cases, 8 cases were remarkably effective, 18 cases effective and 6 cases failed. The total effective rate was 81.3%. At the end of treatment course, the level of every indicator after treatment was significantly lower than that before treatment (all P < 0.01). Conclusion: Laser acupuncture achieves the significant therapeutic effect on T2DM of qi and yin deficiency and this therapy deserves to be promoted in clinical application. (C) 2021 World Journal of Acupuncture Moxibustion House. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.