O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) glycosylation is an important form of post-translational protein modification, mainly intracellular. It is closely related to cellular signaling pathways, and is involved in signal transduction, gene transcription and other important biological processes. Studies have found that O-GlcNAc glycosylation is directly related with diabetic retinopathy (DR), further studies may help us to uncover the DR mechanism, and develop new strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.