EPO and hemochromatosis type 1: Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate SNPs in nine candidate genes previously reported to be associated with DR, including the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), pigment epithelium derived factor (PEDF or SERPINF1), aldose reductase (AKR1B1), erythropoietin (EPO), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), hemochromatosis (HFE), high temperature requirement A1 or serine peptidase (HTRA1), Complement Factor H (CFH) and age related maculopathy susceptibility 2 (ARMS2) to determine whether alleles of these markers are associated with DR in an Indian population.