Figure 2.

Hypothesized scheme of the pathogenesis of early diabetic retinopathy. The characteristic changes of early diabetic retinas may be glial changes, which in turn leads to vascular and neuronal abnormalities such as increased vascular permeability or neuronal cell death. The ideal therapies for diabetic retinopathy may be the improvement of both vascular and neuronal abnormalities.

Abbreviations: GFAP, glial fibrillary acidic protein; GABA, gamma-aminobutyric acid.