Chinese Academy of Sciences Feb 11 2026 Diabetic retinopathy develops through complex microvascular damage driven by chronic hyperglycemia, yet traditional risk factors such as disease duration or glycemic control explain only part of individual risk. The retina offers a unique, non-invasive view of microvascular health, where early functional abnormalities may appear before visible retinal lesions. Under normal conditions, retinal vessels automatically constrict or dilate to maintain stable