• The Most Commonly used types of LPG-1 recipient agonists are Semaglutide and Tirzepatide, which are used to treat type 2 diabetes and aid weight loss.
  • Past Studies Have Linked LPK-1 Medications to a Risk of Potentially Blinding Eye Diseases.
  • A New Study Reports That Older Adults with Diabetes Taking Any Type of LP-1 medication may be at a heightned risk for developing neovloping age-relaced macular degeneration (NAMD).

Recent Tracking Polls Report That About One In Eight People Have Taken A Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Agonist Receiver, More Commonly Known as LPG-1 Medications.

Originally used to Help Treat Type 2 Diabetes, these Medications Have Gained in Popularity Over The Last Few Years For Weight Loss.

Currently, The Most Common Types of LP TirzepatideSold Under The Brand Names Mounjaro for Type 2 Diabetes and Zepbound for Weight Loss.

Just Like Any Medication, LPG-1 Drugs have Possible Side Effects and Complications. One potential complication was First reported in July 2024 when a study Found People Using Semaglutide Were at a Four Times Higher Risk of Developing Nonarteritic Previous Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (Naion). This was followed by Research Published in January 2025 That Discovered People Taking Eithher Semaglutide Or Tirzepatide May Be At an Increased Risk For Potentially Blinding Vision Issues.

Now, New Study Recently Published in the Journal Jama Ophthalmology Reports that Older Adults with Diabetes Taking Any Type of LPG-1 MEDICATION MAY BE AT A HEIGHTENED RISK FOR DEVELOPING Macular Macular Degeneration Developing Degeneration (NAMD).

Focusing on Semaglutide

For This Study, Refracchers Analyzed Health Records from 2020 to 2023 of More than 139,000 Ontario Residents with an avege age of 66 and diagnosis of diabetes. Participants Who Useed LP-1 Medications Did So For More than Six Months.

“Our Study Included Any LPG-1 Receiver Agonists That Were prescribed the Study period in ontario, Canada; We Did not Exclude Any Specific Type of The Scee Medications,” Rajeev H. Muni, MD MSC FRCSC, Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical Research in The Department Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at the University of Toronto In Canada, and principal investigator of this study explained to Medical News Today. “However, Semaglutide represented the Vast Majority of Use in Our Cohort, Accounting for 97.5% of All LPG-1 prescripts.”

“Lixisenatide Made Up The Remaining 2.5%, and Nearly All Prescripts of Lixisenatide Were In Combination With Insulin Glargine“Muni Continued.” Tirzepatide was not included scholass it had not yet Been Approved in Canada During the Study period. ”

“Furthermore, While Wegovy was Approved in Late 2021, Our Study Focused on Patients With Diabetes From 2020 to 2023,” He Added. “Therefore, it is Vary Likely that the Semaglutide Included in Our Analysis was prescribed as ozempic, which is indicated for blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes.”

OLDER ADULS TAKING GLP-1S AT 2-FOLD HIGHER RISK

UPON ANALYSIS, FOUND THAT REFOCHERS participants with diabetes taking a LP-1 medication had a two-fold Higher Risk of Developing NAMD-A Type of Amd Where Malformed Blood Vessels Grow Underneath The Retina, Cash Fluids To Leak into the macula of the eye.

There Is Currently does not cure for namd and it is a condition that can potentially cale blindness.

“We Found That Among Patients With Diabetes Anged 66 and Older, The Incident of Namd Was Approximately Muni Said. “While The Absolute Risk Remains Low, This Represents a Relative Doubling in Risk.”

“While Our Findings Should Not Prompt Alarm, They Do Warrant Increased Clinical Awareness,” I have continued. “Inute medications have Well-Established Benefits for cardiovascular, renaland Metabolic Health. However, Patients Who May Be at Higher Risk for Namd, Such As Older Adults, Should Be Aware of the Possibility of New Visual Symptoms. If Any New Changes in Vision Occur While Taking these Medications, Patients Should Promptly Inform Their Doctor and Be Referred to an Ophthalmologist for Further Assessment. ”

Eye Disease Risk Higher in Those Using Glp-1s for Longer

Additionionally, Muni and His Team Observed that the Highest Namd Risk was Associated With Participants Who Had Used Glp-1 Medications for The Longest Amount of Time.

“We observed Clear Dose-RespiRionnship in Our Analysis, With The Risk of Namd Increaseing as The Duration of LPG-1 AGONIST EXPOSURE INCREASED receiver,” Muni Explained. “This finding is clinically Meaningful Becouse it suggests that the risk may accumulate over time.”

“Given that many individuals use these medications chronically, WHETHER FOR BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL or FOR WEIGHT LOSS, THE LONG-TERM OCULAR SAFETY OF LPG-1 RAS REQUIRES FURTER INVESTIGATION,” I have continued. “WHILE OBSERVATIONAL DATA CANKKE PROVINATION ON ITS OWN, SEEING A GRADED RELATIONSHIP Like This Suggests that prolonged exposure could play a Role in Increasing Risk; However, This Needs to Be Validated in Future Studies.”

The Study’s Limitations

MNT Also Talled to Demetrios Vavvas, MD, PHD, director of the retina service at mass Eye and Ear in Massachusetts, About This Research.

Vavvas Commented that the Study’s Strength is on its massive scale of real -world data, The Robust Statistical Technique Used, and The Evidence It Found of A “Dose-Respión” Relationship.

“The Risk of Developing Namd Appeared to Increase The Longer A Patient Was Expose to the Medication,” I have continued. “This Type of Pattern Makes A Potential Link More Comppelling Than A Single, Static Finding and provides for significant signal that warrants seriously follow-up research.”

However, Vavvas Did Point Out That the Study has submit limitations.

“The MOST Significant Limitation is that This Study Can Only Show An Association, Not Provuat The Drug Causes This Eye Condition. This is the Critical Best prescribed to patients with obesity, This Single Unmeasured Factor Could Be the True Driver of the Observed Risk. ”
– Demetrios Vavvas, MD, PHD

“Second, The results may be influenced by Surveillance Bias,” Vavvas Continued. “Patients starting a powerful new medication like a LP Appeaarance of Incredase Risk. “

“Thirdly, The Current Events Were Vry Small – Less than 0.2% SO ESCITE STATISTICAL ADJUSTMENT RESULTS MAY NOT BE ACURETE,” HE ADDED. “Lastly as the Majority of LPG-1 ras in This Study Were Semaglutide, This May not apply to all glp-1 ras and addionctionally, Besta the Analysis Excluded Over 26,000 Patients Who Could Not Be Matched, The Results May Not Apply To The Full Spectrum of Patients Taking Taking Taking Taking Taking Toiles In The Real World, particularly Those with More Complex Health Profiles. “

MONITORING EYE HEALTH IMPORTANT ON LPG-1 DRUGS

MNT Spoke with David I. Geffen, Od, Faao, director of optometric and refractive service at the gordon schanzlin new vision in the jolla, ca, about This Study.

Geffen Commered That As LPlp-1 Medications are Being prescribed to a Huger of Patients-and as it’s been observed that not all patients are symptom free and not side Effect free-doctors must be see careful to make sout Medications.

“It is important to make Sure that we know ur patieves are taking asee medications,” I have explained. “This Study Shows That As New Medications are Approved We Need To Be Careful As Long Term Side-Effects May Be Seen That We Were Not Aware of.”

“Diabetes is Vary Common in Our Practices and Many of Our Patients are put on the GPL-1S,” Geffen Continued. “We need (to) be vigilant in examining patients with diabetes. If using these meds, it is even more important. One Study is not angoo to make too meck assumptions However in deciding to use used meds. The LP

“It is important to carry on further studies in other countries to see ifis is sen in other populaments,” I have add. “It would be important to know more of the demographics of the afflicted populations.