Semaglutide, a widely used medication for diabetes and obesity, has been linked to a more than double the risk of developing neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in older patients with diabetes, according to researchers at the University of Toronto.
Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness among older adults in Western countries. Neovascular AMD, which causes sudden and irreversible central vision loss due to abnormal blood vessel growth, is a less common but more serious form of the disease.
Semaglutide has been shown to have several benefits, including weight loss and reduced cardiovascular risk. However, its effects on the retina were never part of its intended target scope.
Previous studies had raised concerns about semaglutide’s potential complications in diabetic retinopathy, with reports of optic nerve damage. Some small laboratory studies had suggested that long-term GLP-1 treatments may have neuroprotective or vascular benefits, but a consensus remains elusive.
A recent study published in JAMA Ophthalmology found that older adults with diabetes who used semaglutide for at least six months were 2.21 times more likely to develop nAMD than those who did not use the medication. This risk increased with longer duration of treatment, reaching an adjusted hazard ratio of 3.62 for exposures of 30 months or more.
The study also found that older age and prior cerebrovascular events were independently associated with a higher risk of developing nAMD.
These findings raise concerns about the potential for delayed-onset ocular harm from semaglutide treatment. As a result, patients receiving prolonged treatment may need to undergo periodic eye examinations to monitor their retinal health.
Further research is needed to determine whether the retinal risks are a pharmacologic side effect or simply an artifact of correlating data gaps.
Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-semaglutide-linked-neovascular-macular-degeneration.html