Kawasaki R, et al. - Using a nation-wide health claims database of the Japan Medical Data Center (JMDC), an observational analysis was conducted to determine whether the use of lipid-lowering medication decreases the risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and the need for treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes. Results revealed that there were 69,070 individuals with type 2 diabetes at baseline, among whom DR developed in 5687 over a period of 3 years. It was observed that use of lipid-lowering medication lessened the risk of DR and thus the risks involved in treatment with laser photocoagulation and vitrectomy in a population of patients with type 2 diabetes with a variety of risk profiles.