Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is one of the most serious and commonmicrovascular complications of diabetes,and it is a major cause of blindness all over the world. However, its exact pathogenesis is complicated and not entirely clear. Pigment epithelium-derived factor(PEDF)is a kind of multifunctional protein. Many studies showed that its protective effects were done by antioxidant properties in the DR. This paper summarized the mechanism of protective effect of antioxidant properties of PEDF in DR.