Figure 2.

(A) Schematic overview of potential mechanisms leading to diabetic macular edema. Hyperglycemia-induced metabolic stress leads to a complex interaction leading to vascular damage to and compromise of the blood–retinal barrier (BRB) (Modified from [29]). (B) Disorganization of the BRB and hypoperfusion causes fluid extravasation, neovascularization, and subsequent edema. (C) Chronic swelling of the macula leads to damage to the neural retina and loss of photoreceptors (created with BioRender).