Weight-Loss Drugs Could Help Prevent Vision Loss, Study Suggests
New research suggests that weight-loss drugs can help prevent vision loss as patients age.
AMD Affects Almost 20 Million Americans
The new study, undertaken by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and published by Jama Ophthalmology, suggests that GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Monjaro can reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in older American adults.
Over time, AMD damages the macula, which is the part of the retina which conveys central vision. As the condition progresses, people’s direct vision becomes severely compromised while their peripheral vision remains largely unaffected. Nearly 20 million American adults suffer from AMD, and about 80 percent of those are so-called “dry” cases caused when the macula thins with age, often the result of a buildup of yellow protein deposits, which are called drusen. “Wet” AMD is far more aggressive, causing severe and rapid loss of vision.
GLP-1 Drugs May Help Prevent the Condition
In order to determine how GLP-1 medications would affect AMD patients, the researchers monitored 91,000 participants over 10 years. All of the participants were over the age of 55 with no history of diabetes. Of this group, half were taking a GLP-1 for weight loss, and the other half were prescribed a non-GLP-1 weight loss drug.
After five years, the GLP-1 group had an 84 percent lower risk of developing dry AMD than the non-GLP-1 group. Even more impressive was that the risk appeared to decrease over time. After seven years, GLP-1 users expressed an 87 percent lower risk, while at 10 years the risk was lowered by 91 percent.
“We were quite surprised by the strength of the association between GLP-1 medication use and the lower risk of developing macular degeneration,” said Benjamin Young, a corresponding study author and an assistant professor of ophthalmology at OHSU Health in Portland, Oregon.
But There's a Major Caveat
However, GLP-1 medications did not appear to slow the progression of wet AMD. A separate study, published in June 2025, found that diabetic GLP-1 users were actually more likely to develop wet AMD after a year taking the medication. Young notes that the study only shows an association, rather than a cause-and-effect relationship, between GLP-1s and AMD.
“We can’t say that these medications directly caused the reduction in AMD risk. The findings suggest a possible link that should be tested in a randomized clinical trial,” Young said. But it’s possible that the reduced inflammation resulting from GLP-1s could potentially reduce the risk of AMD and other eye-related maladies. “We also recently published that GLP-1s might reduce the incidence of cataracts, which we also speculate may be related to reduced ocular [eye] inflammation,” he said.
At this time, Young cautioned physicians from taking any concrete advice from the study. “I don’t think this study should play any role in physicians recommending weight loss drugs to prevent macular degeneration,” he advised. “If a patient asks if it’s safe to take if they think they are at risk for macular degeneration, I think these results might help physicians suggest it is likely safe to take in that situation.”