Objective To investigate the correlation between triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and the risk of progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods 521 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology of the Affiliated Suqian Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from June 2022 to June 2023 were included in the study, and the patients were classified into 206 cases in the no-diabetic retinopathy (NDR) group, 159 cases in the non-proliferative diabetic Retinopathy (NPDR) group, and 156 cases in the proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) group, according to the criteria of diagnosis and staging of DR. General data and major biochemical indexes of patients in each group were compared, TyG index was calculated, and the correlation between TyG index and the risk of DR progression was analyzed. Results Multifactorial logistic regression showed that TyG index was an independent risk factor for DR. Ordered logistic regression showed that corrected confounders included sex, age, body mass index (BMI), disease duration, glycated haemoglobin (HbAlc), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), creatinine (CR), uric acid (UA) and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), there was a significant correlation between TyG index and the risk of DR progression, Q3 vs Q1 OR=4. 18 (2.55-6.85), and the risk of DR progression increases with the TyG index. Subgroup analysis proved that the Q3 group was still more likely to develop severe DR. The results of interaction analysis showed that there was a significant interaction between TyG index and age&BMI, patients aged >60 years and BMI >24 were at higher risk of DR. Conclusion TyG index is an independent risk factor for DR, and there is a significant correlation between TyG index and the risk of DR progression. The risk of DR progression increases with the TyG index. The risk of DR was higher among older and overweight patients.