Background: Information regarding the frequency and severity of eye involvement in diabetic patients and its risk factors can be useful for prevention and treatment. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and its associated risk factors in diabetic patients who referred to teaching hospitals in Babol, Mazandaran.

 Methods: In this study a total of 1562 patients with the definite diagnosis of diabetes mellitus were chosen and referred to the eye clinic of Shahid Beheshti and Ayatollah Rouhani Hospitals of Babol during 2006-2010. Information about age, duration of diabetes, hypertension family history of diabetes, history of other organs involvement, BMI and laboratory findings were recorded. Retinopathy was classified according to early treatment of diabetic retinopathy study. Data were collected and analyzed.

 Results: Of the 1562 patients, 357 (22.9%) were males and 1205 (77.1%) were females. The mean age was 54.6±10.6 years, diabetic retinopathy was found in 990 (64.1%) patients, the frequency of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy was 37.3% and proliferative was 26.8%.Age, duration of diabetes, FBS, HbA1C, BUN, Cr, Hb were  significantly different between the patient’s with diabetic retinopathy and no diabetic retinopathy (p<0.05). No relationship was found between smoking, gender, hypertension and serum lipid profile.

 Conclusion: Poor diabetes control anemia and nephropathy were the most associated factors of diabetic retinopathy but hypertension BMI smoking, dyslipidemia and gender showed no association.