At an early onsetof DR, sustained hyperglycemia activates NLRP3 inflammasomes, whichmay lead to pyroptosis or programmed cell death of pericytes and vascularendothelial cells in the retina, causing diabetic macular edema (DME)from vascular leakage or causing nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy(NPDR) from microvascular damage. Here, NLRP3 is linked to diabetic macular edema.