AIM: To investigate the relationship between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and type 2 diabetic retinopathy (DR). METHODS: A total of 200 cases with type 2 diabetes mellitus were involved. All patients were divided into three groups according to the fundus examination: diabetes mellitus (DM, n=100), non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR, n=62) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR, n=38). 100 healthy persons were selected as the normal control group (NCG, n=100). The related indicators, such as neutrophil count, lymphocyte count and platelet count, were measured. RESULTS: The value of NLR was significantly higher in PDR group patients than in NC group (1.81), DM group (1.76) and NPDR group (1.85) (P<0.05). The value of PLR was significantly higher in PDR group patients (126.18) than in DM group (111.64) (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that age (β= -0.047) was protective factor, course of diabetes (β=0.071) and systolic blood pressure (β=0.024) were risk factors for diabetic retinopathy (P<0.05), but the value of NLR and PLR was not statistically significant in the Logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSION: The value of NLR and PLR increased in the PDR group, but it is not independent risk factor for diabetic retinopathy.