Diabetic Retinopathy Market By Type (Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (NPDR), Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR)), By Treatment (Anti-VEGF Therapy, Steroid Implants, Laser Photocoagulation, Vitrectomy), By Diagnosis (Fluorescein Angiography, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Fundus Photography, Visual Acuity Testing), By End-user (Hospitals, Ophthalmic Clinics, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Research & Academic Institutes), Global Market Size, Segmental Analysis, Regional Overview, Company Share Analysis, Leading Company Profiles, And Market Forecast, 2025 – 2035.

Industry Outlook

The Diabetic Retinopathy market accounted for USD 9.63 Billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 19.65 Billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of around 6.7% between 2025 and 2035. The Diabetic Retinopathy Market provides services for diagnosing along with treating and managing the dangerous diabetic retinopathy that affects diabetics. The combination of medications and laser procedures together with surgical procedures helps control diabetic retinopathy disease progression while avoiding vision loss. The market grows because diabetes cases keep rising globally, along with population aging and increased attention to eye health.

New AI-based retinal screening technology combined with anti-VEGF injections enables faster and enhanced diagnosis and patient outcomes. Healthcare organizations and government entities allocate funding to disease screening initiatives to minimize the impact of the disease. Adopting specialized eye care remains scarce within developing areas, and treatments are expensive. The market is led by North America because it has strong medical infrastructure, yet Asia-Pacific shows the most significant expansion. 

Report Scope:

Market Dynamics

The increasing global diabetic population drives demand for retinopathy treatments.

The rise in diabetes cases worldwide acts as the main market-driving force behind Diabetic Retinopathy Market expansion. Diabetes leads to severe blood sugar elevation, which damages small blood vessels inside the eye, resulting in diabetic retinopathy, which accounts as a primary reason for blindness. The growing number of diabetic people has led to increased requirements for efficient evaluation and management solutions for retinopathy and its diagnosis. IDF reports that diabetes diagnoses affected 537 million adults globally in 2021, but this figure might increase to 783 million adults by 2045. The rapid increase in diabetes cases leads to the greater development of diabetic retinopathy because one-third of diabetic patients will eventually receive a diagnosis of this condition.

Most patients remain unaware of their diabetes risk during early stages since the condition shows no symptoms, thus requiring regular eye screening sessions. New retinal imaging technologies and advanced medical treatments, including anti-VEGF medications, along with laser methods and surgical procedures, emerged due to rising patient requirements in this field. Market expansion should continue because governments and healthcare institutions emphasize both detecting diabetic retinopathy early and taking preventative actions. The Diabetic Retinopathy Market demonstrates steady growth because more people seek specialized medical attention and become aware of its importance.

AI-based screening and imaging enhance early detection.

The adoption of AI screening and imaging technologies for early diabetic retinopathy detection accelerates market growth rates due to enhanced possibilities for patient care. The new technology provides quick diagnosis through its analysis of retina images, which identifies diabetic eye disease indications. The retina detection capabilities of AI algorithms reveal minor changes that human observers would miss, thus establishing an effective screening system suitable for under-resourced medical areas that lack specialized ophthalmologists. With AI integrated into retinal imaging equipment, doctors can intervene with higher accuracy at appropriate times, which hinders visual deterioration.

Tests show that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published research demonstrating that artificial intelligence systems provide diabetic retinopathy diagnoses that reach human ophthalmologist levels of accuracy or exceed them. Healthcare providers now have better opportunities to establish routine screenings through affordable AI-based tools that help identify conditions earlier. The innovations contribute to less work for healthcare professionals because they can devote their attention to difficult cases instead of routine work. Anticipated increases in the Diabetic Retinopathy Market stem from the expanding use of AI in healthcare.

Expensive drugs and surgical procedures limit accessibility.

High costs of drugs and surgical treatments create major barriers to Diabetic Retinopathy Market accessibility because they restrict patient access, particularly in lower-income areas. The high cost of anti-VEGF injections, together with complex surgical treatments such as vitrectomy, imposes significant financial strain on healthcare institutions and diabetic patients. Delays in both diagnosis and treatment occur because of the high prices associated with necessary interventions. The requirement for long-term care through multiple injections creates additional financial strain because of the increased expense in affordability.

Payments for these medical therapies surpass the financial capabilities of patients from developing nations, which causes numerous patients to remain without treatment or diagnosis. Effective treatment adoption suffers setbacks because of high health care price points, especially in resource-limited areas. Healthcare systems encounter difficulties when aiming to deliver equal quality medical care while stopping vision deterioration from diabetic retinopathy.

Increased adoption of AI-based tools for early-stage detection.

The Diabetic Retinopathy Market benefits from rising AI tool use for early-stage detection. AI technology enables quick, efficient, and affordable retinal image examination, which allows diagnostic detection even when diabetic retinopathy shows no visible symptoms. Timely detection with these methods delivers quicker access to treatment that minimizes serious vision deterioration. Medical professionals rely on artificial intelligence tools to enhance screening accessibility in areas with limited ophthalmological services. These analytical tools automate retinal picture analysis to ease healthcare worker workloads, which results in optimized eye care operational efficiency.

The Diabetic Retinopathy Market will receive more support from AI-based technologies as they expand into imaging platforms since these developments improve clinical outcomes and make healthcare services less expensive and more accessible. Early detection and treatment methodologies become essential in diabetes-prone areas to prevent blindness since these opportunities prove crucial in such regions.

Remote screening solutions improve patient outreach.

The Diabetic Retinopathy Market gains essential value through remote screening solutions, which expand patient reach, particularly in regions without sufficient medical facilities. Patients can perform retinal screenings through these solutions at both their home locations and local clinics instead of making distant visits to specialist centers. Telemedicine, along with remote diagnostic equipment, enables healthcare providers to review superior-quality retinal images, which allows them to detect diseases early and provide prompt treatment.

Eye care accessibility increases through this technology because it provides solutions that free up healthcare facilities and provide testing support to people who otherwise receive no regular screenings. Through remote screening, providers can execute uniform retinal health checks of diabetic patients on a routine basis to detect early indications of changes. The widespread implementation of these solutions delivers cost reductions for healthcare, helps patients maintain better compliance rates, and leads to superior outcomes, thus creating meaningful expansion opportunities for the Diabetic Retinopathy Market.

Industry Experts Opinion

“Diabetic retinopathy continues to be one of the leading causes of blindness in adults worldwide. As the prevalence of diabetes increases, so does the incidence of this condition. Advances in early detection, such as retinal imaging and optical coherence tomography (OCT), have significantly improved the ability to identify and monitor diabetic retinopathy. Additionally, the development of targeted therapies, including anti-VEGF injections and laser treatments, has allowed for more effective management and prevention of vision loss. Early intervention is key, and as research continues, we are hopeful that more innovative treatment options will emerge to further reduce the burden of this disease.”

• Dr. Michael Carter, Ophthalmologist and Retinal Specialist at the Mayo Clinic

Segment Analysis

Based on the Type, the Diabetic Retinopathy Market has been classified into Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (NPDR) and proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR). The Diabetic Retinopathy Market sees Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR) as its largest segment due to its high significance. New blood vessels appearing abnormally across the retina define PDR as the advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy, so vision loss becomes more likely. The advanced stage of PDR needs aggressive treatment approaches like laser surgery and anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) injections and vitrectomy, leading to market segment expansion. Global diabetes prevalence keeps rising, so PDR case numbers increase along with enhanced specialized treatment needs. Healthcare systems and research consider PDR, with its potential vision impairments, a top priority, due to which it achieves prominence in the market.

 Based on the Treatment, the Diabetic Retinopathy Market has been classified into anti-VEGF therapy, Steroid Implants, Laser Photocoagulation, and Vitrectomy. Anti-VEGF therapy stands as the largest segment while also being the leading force in the Diabetic Retinopathy Market. The treatment of diabetic retinopathy has undergone a tremendous transformation because of anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) therapy, specifically for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and diabetic macular edema (DME). Anti-VEGF therapy interrupts the expansion of irregular blood vessels in the retina while decreasing swelling to stop ongoing vision deterioration. Anti-VEGF drugs establish their leadership position in diabetic retinopathy treatment because they maintain effective visual results and effectively prevent diseases from worsening into more serious conditions. Modernizing research technology alongside new clinical drug approvals has solidified this therapy into everyday healthcare practice. Consequently, the therapy now leads market growth statistics. Its importance in the market continues to rise through newer, minimally invasive treatments and rising trial activity.

Regional Analysis

The Diabetic Retinopathy Market continues to expand rapidly within North America because of diabetes being widespread and the region becoming older. The U.S. maintains leadership in the area because it has superior medical facilities while using high healthcare financing and expanding the use of innovative treatments, which include anti-VEGF therapy. Canada demonstrates noteworthy market expansion because diabetic retinopathy treatment receives better diagnostics, and patients become more aware of the condition. Market expansion occurs from the combination of advanced therapeutic options such as anti-VEGF injections and laser photocoagulation therapy together with government programs to improve diabetic eye disease management. The market in this region expands due to an increased priority of minimizing health system costs from diabetic complications.

The Diabetic Retinopathy Market across Asia Pacific shows significant expansion because diabetes incidence continues to rise and people become more knowledgeable about healthcare issues in this region. The increasing diabetic patient numbers in countries such as China and India drive up market demand for effective treatment solutions. Market expansion occurs because of affordable anti-VEGF therapy as well as steroid implants and laser photocoagulation treatment options that are available to patients. The region notes an advancement in healthcare infrastructure, including emerging economy facilities that enlarge patients' accessibility to eye care procedures. The market expansion receives support from government programs dedicated to diabetic eye disease prevention and treatment. Advanced treatments combined with healthcare modernization throughout the Asia Pacific will lead to a growing importance of this market area.  

Competitive Landscape

The Diabetic Retinopathy Market consists of substantial pharmaceutical companies together with emerging competitors who actively participate. Anti-VEGF therapies Lucentis and Eylea from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Novartis AG dominate the Diabetic Retinopathy Market because they serve as primary treatments for this condition. Eylea, made by Bayer AG, reached its market position through its joint venture with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. Other key players like AbbVie and Santen Pharmaceutical focus on treatments such as steroid implants and laser photocoagulation.

The pharmaceutical field witnesses emerging healthcare providers Kodiak Sciences and Alimera Sciences, who test next-generation anti-VEGF drugs in their clinical programs. The market competition continues to transform because of collaborative agreements that combine with acquisitions and innovative solutions that advance treatment selection along with improved patient results. The market competition intensifies at every stage because research and regulatory approvals remain active while new therapeutic options, including gene therapies, introduce themselves to markets.

Diabetic Retinopathy Market, Company Shares Analysis, 2024

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Recent Developments:

• In In January 2024, Sandoz, a division of Novartis, signed an agreement to acquire the U.S. rights to Cimerli (ranibizumab-eqrn), a biosimilar of Lucentis (ranibizumab), from Coherus BioSciences, Inc. This acquisition aims to enhance Sandoz's position in the U.S. ophthalmology market by providing an interchangeable biosimilar treatment for retinal diseases, including diabetic retinopathy.

Report Coverage:

By Type

• Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (NPDR)
• Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR)

By Treatment

• Anti-VEGF Therapy
• Steroid Implants
• Laser Photocoagulation
• Vitrectomy

By Diagnosis

• Fluorescein Angiography
• Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
• Fundus Photography
• Visual Acuity Testing

End-user

• Hospitals
• Ophthalmic Clinics
• Ambulatory Surgical Centers
• Research & Academic Institutes

By Region

North America

• U.S.
• Canada

Europe

• U.K.
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Spain
• Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

• China
• Japan
• India
• Australia
• South Korea
• Singapore
• Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

• Brazil
• Argentina
• Mexico
• Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

• GCC Countries
• South Africa
• Rest of Middle East & Africa

List of Companies:

• Novartis AG
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
• Bayer AG
• F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
• AbbVie
• Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
• Ophthotech Corporation
• Kodiak Sciences Inc.
• Horizon Therapeutics
• Kowa Company, Ltd.
• Pfizer Inc.
• Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.
• Alimera Sciences, Inc.
• EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
• Intrexon Corporation

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