Diabetic patients who take LPG-1 can face a higher risk of ocular disease, the study suggests

Diabetes is the main cause of loss of vision in people between 18 and 64, according to the American Diabetes Association, and the best way to prevent this is to control blood sugar levels.

The agonists of the-1 peptide receptor similar to glucagon (LPG-1), such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, have become popular medications to control diabetes and treat obesity, but the new Canadian research suggests that they can also lead to a paradoxical secondary effect in the form of eye problems.

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A retrospective study conducted from January 2020 to November 2023 included more than 139,000 diabetic patients, some of whom were taking LPG-1 for at least six months and others who were not taking the medications for a period of three years.

The average age of the participants was 66, and approximately 47% were women.

The researchers found that the participants who take the medications for weight loss were twice as a risk of developing neovascular macular degeneration related to age (NAMD) compared to the people who do not take them.

“There have been growing reports of [eye] Adverse events with agonists of the GLP-1 receiver, but there is no clear consensus regarding its impact on the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), “the author of the study, Dr. Rajeev Muni, an ophthalmologist and vice president of clinical research in the department of ophthalmology and vision sciences of the vision of the University of Toronto, said News Digital.

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“In particular, we observed a dose-response relationship: the longer these medications were exposed, the greater their risk,” added the author Reut Shor, a researcher at the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences of the University of Toronto.

The findings were published in Jama Ophthalmology.

What is macular degeneration related to age?

Macular degeneration related to age (AMD) is the most common cause of loss of vision in those over 50 in the developing world, according to the American society of specialists in the retina.

Approximately 20 million adults in the United States have the condition.

It mainly affects the central vision of people, which means that they have a difficult time to see in front of them, but their peripheral vision is intact, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

There are two types of AMD: dry and wet.

Dry AMD, the most common type, occurs when small yellow protein deposits are developed under the macula, but the symptoms may not occur in the early stages, experts said.

“The longer these medications were exposed, the greater their risk will be.”

In approximately two out of 10 cases, dry AMD becomes a humid AMD, also known as macular degeneration related to neovascular age (NAMD).

With this type of more advanced disease, abnormal blood vessels are formed under the retina and begin to leak, causing damage to the central part of the retina, known as the macula, according to WebMD.

“When this happens, the symptoms include central vision loss, vision distortions and blank areas that are missing in the central vision,” said Nishika Reddy, MD, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Midvalley Health Center of Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah, News Digital. (She was not part of the study).

NAMD risk factors include chronic heart failure, chronic kidney disease and diabetes, all of which often overlaps with those who take LPG-1, experts confirmed.

Limitations and recommendations

The authors of the study warned that their findings should be taken in the context of the highest general risk of eye disease in older people.

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The incidence of NAMD in the general population is approximately one in every 1,000, and doubled two out of 1,000 for the group that takes the LPG-1 in the study.

However, the general absolute risk remains small, according to researchers.

The main limitation of the study is that it was of an observational nature, which means that researchers could not confirm that GLP-1s medications cause macular degeneration related to neovascular age.

The study could not draw conclusions about younger populations, the researchers recognized.

“In addition, our findings apply only to diabetic patients of 66 years or more, and cannot be generalized directly to non-diabetic people who use GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss,” Shor told News Digital.

“While the risk of developing macular degeneration while in a GLP-1 drug is low, patients should be aware of possible ocular side effects.”

GLP-1 receptors are present in the retina, regardless of the age or the state of diabetes, so in theory, the risk could be applied to younger populations.

More research is needed to better understand why diabetic people in LPG-1 have augmented eye disease, said Shor.

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“While the risk of developing macular degeneration while in a GLP-1 medication it is low, patients should be aware of possible ocular side effects related to this type of medication,” said Reddy.

If someone realizes the blurred or distorted vision, the straight lines that appear undulating or any blind spot should seek medical attention, according to Muni.

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Early detection of eye disease is crucial, experts agree, since timely treatment can reduce the risk of loss of vision.

The study authors said they expect their findings to train patients to monitor early symptoms.