['To determine whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene are associated with severity of diabetic retinopathy.', 'A case-control study was conducted in which 45 individuals with type 1 or 2 diabetes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and 61 individuals with type 1 or 2 diabetes without retinopathy (DWR) were genotyped for 14 SNPs in the VEGF promoter and gene.', "Three of the promoter SNP genotypes, -160C, -152A (rs13207351), and -116A (rs1570360), showed significant independent associations with PDR, as well as the minihaplotype CAA (P = 0.00017). Two promoter haplotypes were associated with severity of retinopathy: -460C, -417T, -172C, -165C, -160C, -152A, -141A, -116A, +405C was associated with PDR (OR [95% CI] = 29.92 [3.91, 228.78], P = 1.62 x 10(-5)) and -460C, -2417T, -172C, -165C, -160C, -152A, -141A, -116G, +405G was associated with DWR (OR = 0.05 [0.01, 0.35], P = 0.000373). Furthermore, two haplotype-tagged (ht) SNPs, +4618 (rs735286) and +5092 (rs2146323), and five htSNP haplotypes were associated with severity of retinopathy. When the nine promoter/5' untranslated region [UTR] and five htSNP genotypes were combined into a 14-SNP haplotype, a single haplotype, -460C, -417T, -172C, -165C, -160C, -152A, -141A, -116A, +405C, +674T, +4618C, +5092A, +9162C, +9512C was found to be significantly associated with the PDR group (OR = 18.45 [2.35, 144.67], P = 0.00622)."] Are vEGF polymorphisms associated with severity of diabetic retinopathy?