By creating a virtual tissue model of diabetes in the eye researchers have shown precisely how a small protein that can both damage or grow blood vessels in the eye causes vision loss and blindness in people with diabetes. The study reported in the journal PLOS Computational Biology could also lead to better treatment for diabetic retinopathy which currently requires multiple invasive procedures that are not always effective in the long term. A common cause of vision loss in people with diabetes diabetic retinopathy is responsible for one percent of all blindness worldwide. With the current epidemic of diabetes in