Abstract: Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is the main cause of blindness and visual impairment.In hyperglycemia,oxidative stress,or hypoxia,IL-1β upregulation mediates retinal inflammation.Sustained low-grade inflammation can cause retinal vascular damage and neurodegeneration,stimulate oxidative damage,disrupt the blood retinal barrier,and induce retinal neovascularization.This article reviews the research progress of IL-1β in the mechanism and clinical treatment of DR.