Abstract: Objective To describe the prevalence and risk factors of diabetic retinopathy （DR） in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） in permanent residents aged 40 years and older in Hengli town, Dongguan city. Methods A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 8 952 （eligible participants） Han Chinese aged 40 years and older from 16 villages and a community participated in the census of diabetes. Participants underwent standardized interview, physical and ocular examinations including: general message, social and economic situation, the questionnaire of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy, anthropometry, laboratory examination. All the DM patients received fundus photography in order to calculate and analyse the prevalence and risk factors of DR in newly diagnosed T2DM. Results Of 11 181 eligible persons, 8 592 were examined, and response rate was 80.06%. 1 072 patients were newly diagnosed T2DM, accounting for 71.09%, and the average age was 58.94±7.74 years. The age and gender standardized prevalence of DR in newly diagnosed T2DM was 12.64%. In the logistic multivariate analysis, factors that were significantly associated with DR in newly diagnosed T2DM were male and higher glycosylated hemoglobin. Conclusions The prevalence of DR in newly diagnosed T2DM was 12.64% in Hengli town, Dongguan city. There is a strong requirement for early screening for DR in newly diagnosed T2DM to reduce blindness resulted from diabetic retinopathy, especially paying attention to men and higher glycosylated hemoglobin T2DM.