Longer duration of diabetes [10–16], high fasting blood sugar level [9, 15, 17, 18], presence of hypertension [15, 19, 20], obesity [21, 22], being on insulin treatment alone [12, 23–25]), presence of diabetes in a family [10, 18] and poor socio economic status [26, 27] were the most consistent factors associated with the development of DR in diabetic patients. The gene discussed is INS; the disease is diabetes mellitus.