Diabetic Retinopathy: Ocular Genetic Studies

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a polygenic multifactorial disease. The occurrence of different severities of disease in patient groups with similar environmental and metabolic factors can be explained by genetic variants. Familial clustering and twin studies also reinforce the effect of genetic factors. Studies are in the form of genetic linkage analyses, candidate gene studies, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), next generation sequencing (NGS). Although the effect of genetics on the disease has been proven as a result of the studies, consistent results are limited. Additional studies with large populations are needed.