New review explores GLP-1 agonists’ role in glaucoma prevention

GLP-1 receptor agonists may reduce the risk of glaucoma in individuals with type 2 diabetes, but the evidence is mixed and influenced by study variability and biases, according to a study. Further high-quality, long-term studies are needed to confirm these findings and explore their potential role in glaucoma prevention.

The review analyzed data from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases, encompassing studies from 1991 to 2024. Of 194 identified studies, 5 retrospective studies involving over 156,000 participants met the inclusion criteria.

Initial findings showed no statistically significant difference in glaucoma incidence between GLP-1 RA users and non-users (HR 0.779; 95% CI [0.585; 1.036]; P = 0.086). However, sensitivity analyses highlighted variability depending on study inclusion. Excluding one outlier study significantly altered the results, showing a reduced risk of glaucoma among GLP-1 RA users (HR 0.71; 95% CI [0.60, 0.85]) with lower heterogeneity.

Reference
Amaral DC, Guedes J, Cruz MRB, et al. Glp-1 receptor agonists use and incidence of glaucoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis: glp-1 receptor agonists use and incidence of glaucoma. Am J Ophthalmol. 2024;S0002-9394(24)00589-0. doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2024.12.024. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39732312.