RESUMO
A relationship was established between alterations in vessels of the fundus of the eye and diabetes mellitus standing, the character of metabolic disorders, hereditary load with regard to cardiovascular diseases. The risk factors of the development of the preclinical stage of diabetic retinopathy are as follows: hereditary load with regard to cardiovascular diseases, parship, an increase of the content of lactate, a reduction of the content of 2,3-diphosphoglycerophosphate, a rise of the content of glycosylated hemoglobin, high content of cholesterol esters in red blood cell membranes, of free cholesterol and malonic dialdehyde in blood serum, a decline of the level of phospholipids and a rise of cardiolipin content in red blood cell membranes, and increase of blood serum cortisol.