Abstract: The class III Histone deacetylases silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) plays crucial roles in the development of diabetic retinopathy(DR). SIRT1 may influence the course of DR through inhibiting the inflammatory response, the retinal cells damages induced by oxidative stress, and the apoptosis of retinal cells, and influencing  the producting of VEGF, and then affecting the development and progression of DR. Currently several resveratrol products, which are SIRT1 activators, have been in clinical trials for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and their efficacies still need to be further evaluated.  (Int Rev Ophthalmol, 2013, 37: 374-378)