have demonstrated that significant increases in serum HOTAIR and MALAT1 levels were evident in NPDR and PDR patients compared to healthy controls and through ROC analyses, these lncRNAs could discriminate NPDR and PDR from non-DR controls, further supporting the diagnostic and prognostic utility of lncRNAs as potential non-invasive biomarkers for DR screening and early diagnosis of PDR (29). Here, HOTAIR is linked to non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy.