On the other hand, hypoxia can significantly increase HIF-1α expression, which induces overexpression of the HIF-1α-associated growth factor VEGF, leading to excessive formation of fibrovascular tissue on the retina and thereby increasing the risk and likelihood of blindness in diabetic patients (Boscia, 2010; Lang, 2012; Rhim et al., 2013; Das et al., 2015; Khodaeian et al., 2015; Mazidi et al., 2017; Tang et al., 2017; Liu et al., 2018). Here, HIF1A is linked to blindness (disorder).