Objective To study the interaction among emotional distress ,health promotion behavior and coping style in patients with diabetes retinopathy, so as to provide guidance for improving patients′ health promotion behavior.Methods A total of 240 hospita-lized patients with diabetes retinopathy were investigated by General Situation Questionnaire, Diabetes Patients Health Promotion Scale, Chinese version of the Diabetes Distress Scale and Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire.The mediating effect of coping style on health promotion behavior and emotional distress of patients with diabetes retinopathy were analyzed.Results The total scores of health promotion behavior was （87.50±8.52）.The mediating effect test results showed that confronce coping style plays a mediating role in emotional distress and health promotion behavior of patients with diabetes retinopathy, and the mediating effect accounts for 32.07% of the total effect.Conclusion The health promotion behaviors of patients with diabetes retinopathy need to be improved.Confronce coping style is the mediating variable of emotional distress and health promotion behavior in patients with diabetes retinopathy.Medical staff need to take corresponding intervention measures to improve the confronce coping style level of patients with emotional distress, in order to promote the improvement of health promotion behavior.