Background/aim: Patients with diabetes mellitus have an increased risk of developing micro- and macrovascular complications. Retinopathy is one of the most important complications of diabetes whose pathophysiological cause has not yet been determined. One candidate may be platelet volume. In this study we aimed to investigate the association between mean platelet volume and diabetic retinopathy. Materials and methods: Mean platelet volume levels were investigated in type 2 diabetic patients with and without retinopathy, and in healthy participants. After reclassifying our diabetics in terms of the presence or absence of hypertension and hyperlipidemia, we compared their mean platelet volumes. We then checked to see if the mean platelet volume correlated with hemoglobin A1c and body mass index. Results: The mean platelet volume levels were higher in all diabetic patients, and they were highest in diabetics with retinopathy. The mean platelet volume levels were not different in diabetic patients with and without hypertension or hyperlipidemia. Moreover, the mean platelet volume levels did not correlate with hemoglobin A1c or body mass index. Conclusion: We think that platelets may play a role in diabetic retinopathy. We can also say that, in diabetic patients, hypertension, hyperlipemia, obesity, and control of diabetes were not related to mean platelet volume.