AAO News

Semaglutide doesn't appear to worsen diabetic eye disease in most patients

November 15, 2023

Despite recent concerns over vision loss in patients taking semaglutide, most patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have no worsening of diabetic retinopathy after starting the drug, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, held from November 3 to 6, 2023 in San Francisco.

• Researchers used the IRIS Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) to evaluate data from more than 48,000 adults with type 2 diabetes treated with injectable semaglutide.
• Subjects were between 51 and 75 years old and were treated between 2013 and 2021.
• After two years of treatment, only 2.2 percent of eyes with no or background diabetic retinopathy experienced a worsening of diabetic retinopathy.
• In eyes with early-stage disease (mild or moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy), 3.5 percent of eyes showed a worsening of diabetic retinopathy.
• Nearly 60 percent of eyes with advanced disease (severe nonproliferative or proliferative diabetic retinopathy) experienced an improvement in their diabetic retinopathy.
• Study limitations include its retrospective observational design, lack of control group, and lack of pre- and post-initiation of semaglutide comparisons.

AAO says that a prospective clinical trial called FOCUS will evaluate the long-term effects of semaglutide in addition to diabetes medication on diabetic retinopathy. The study is expected to conclude in February 2027.

Source:

American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). (2023, November 3). Popular Weight Loss Drug Does Not Appear to Worsen Diabetic Eye Disease in Most Patients, New Study Suggests [Press release]. https://www.aao.org/newsroom/news-releases/detail/study-weight-loss-drug-doesnt-worsen-eye-disease