| Level | Equivalent disease severity level | Clinical features | ||
| Retinopathy | ||||
| R0 | No retinopathy |
| ||
| R1 | Mild and moderate non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy | Micro aneurysms; retinal haemorrhage or exudates not within the definition of maculopathy | ||
| R2 | Severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy | Venous beading/loop/reduplication/Intra-retinal micro vascular abnormality, multiple deep, round or blot haemorrhage | ||
| R3 | Proliferative diabetic retinopathy | New vessels disc or elsewhere | ||
| Maculopathy | ||||
| M0 |
| No maculopathy | ||
| M1 |
| Exudate within 1-disc diameter of the center of the fovea; circinate or group of exudates within the macula; retinal thickening within 1-disc diameter center of the fovea; any micro aneurysm or haemorrhage 1-disc diameter center of the fovea only if associated with a best visual acuity of 6/12 or worse. | ||
| Photocoagulation | ||||
| P0 |
| No photocoagulation | ||
| P1 |
| Evidence of focal or grid laser or peripheral scatter | ||
| Unclassifiable | ||||
| U |
| Unobtainable/ungradable | ||