TWO large studies published today have confirmed links between GLP-1RAs, the group of diabetes and weight loss drugs that includes Ozempic, and eye conditions.
One study, using data from more than 1.5 million people, found there was an increased risk of optic nerve disorders in people with type 2 diabetes taking the drugs semaglutide or tirzepatide.
The patients, who had no prior eye disorders, had an increased risk of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and other optic nerve disorders after taking the GLP-1RAs compared with other diabetes drugs.
However, the overall risk was low, with around 100 patients out of 80,000 experiencing optic nerve damage.
The authors said the findings highlight the need for close monitoring of these conditions in this patient group.
A second study in over 185,000 people found a link between taking a GLP-1 drug and a slightly higher risk of diabetic retinopathy – although the absolute risk was still low.
Interestingly, however, fewer patients experienced sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy complications, including blindness, even among those who had the condition prior to taking the medication, suggesting a protective effect.
The study findings suggest that all patients with T2D treated with GLP-1 RAs, regardless of preexisting diabetic retinopathy, should be regularly screened and monitored for potential complications of T2D.
An accompanying editorial discussing the two studies said they support a link between these drugs and eye outcomes, and suggested “a strong synergy between diabetes care practitioners and eye care specialists is essential for coordinated management of high-risk patients”.
“The path forward is one of balance: preserve the broad advantages of [the medications] and their successors while prospectively elucidating, stratifying, and mitigating ocular risk.
“Doing so will ensure that the millions of people with cardiometabolic disease who stand to gain from these agents do so with clear eyes, literally and figuratively,” they concluded.
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