 The ultimate goal of this research is to contribute to the development of strategies to prevent diabetic retinopathy. This project will test the hypothesis that antiplatelet agents normalize the reduced blood flow observed early in the course of type 1 diabetes. If the hypothesis is proven correct, the results will indicate that the formation of small blood clots microthrombi occurs early in diabetic retinal vessels. In turn, because microthrombosis could readily account for the occlusive microangiopathy that causes the sight-threatening stages of diabetic retinopathy, the results will propose the desirability of antiplatelet therapy for the prevention of diabetic retinopathy. 