In diabetic patients, diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of 
blindness and seriously affects the quality of life. However, current treatment 
methods of DR are not satisfactory. Advances have been made in understanding 
abnormal protein interactions and signaling pathways in DR pathology, but little 
is known about epigenetic regulation. Non-coding RNAs, such as circular RNAs 
(circRNAs), have been shown to be associated with DR. In this review, we 
summarized the function of circRNAs and indicated their roles in the 
pathogenesis of DR, which may provide new therapeutic targets for clinical 
treatment.