Diabetic retinopathy is a major cause of blindness. It is important to study the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in diabetic retinopathy. The HRQoL is typically measured through one of the two different techniques: questionnaires and patient preferences/utilities. The HRQoL questionnaires can be generic, function specific, or disease specific. Considering to patient preferences, two methods are commonly used to quantify utilities: the time tradeoff technique (TTO), and the standard reference gamble. Each method has its own characteristics. This paper reviews the results of recent domestic studies on the effects of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema on the quality of life.