VEGFA and non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy: Regarding aqueous humor biomarkers, our correlation patterns for VEGF and IL-6 largely concur with prior studies indicating that these cytokines correlate with disease activity and thickness measures (18, 19), though variations in assay methods, sample sizes, and patient demographics—such as those with advanced non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy or prior panretinal photocoagulation—can lead to heterogeneous results (9, 20–22).