GLP-1semaglutidetirzepatidediabetic retinopathynaion

Retrospective cohort finds no clear retinal signal with semaglutide or tirzepatide

Among 121 retinal records, the combined diabetic retinopathy and macular edema endpoint occurred in 40% of exposed versus 50.5% of unexposed patients.

By Maren Holt · Senior Reporter, GLP-1

Oct 18 20:00 ETSource: Cureus

The wire

01Investigators reviewed retinal records from January 2025 to March 2026, comparing 30 patients on established semaglutide or tirzepatide with 91 unexposed; the combined endpoint risk ratio was 0.79 (95% CI 0.49-1.28, p=0.400).
02Eye-related safety questions, including NAION, drive prescriber hesitancy; this cohort found no NAION in the retinal group and none of seven separately identified regional NAION cases had documented study-drug use.
03Estimates were imprecise and medication-specific differences across semaglutide, tirzepatide and unexposed groups (global p=0.017) were exploratory; the authors say the data cannot establish or exclude comparative safety.

From the source

Diabetic Retinal Disease Onset and Progression During Established Semaglutide or Tirzepatide Treatment: A Retrospective Comparative Cohort Study With a Descriptive Regional Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION) Review
Cureus · 2026 Oct · Muhsen J et al.

Read at pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Source URL https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42909983/