2nd Annual Photo Contest - Enter Here!
Ophthalmology 360
Home > Retina > Metformin linked to lower incidence of intermediate AMD in patients with diabetes

Metformin linked to lower incidence of intermediate AMD in patients with diabetes

Ophthalmology 360

Key Takeaways

  1. Metformin use was linked to a lower incidence of intermediate AMD over 5 years
  2. No association was found between metformin and the development of early AMD
  3. The reduced risk of late AMD seen in unadjusted analysis was not significant after adjustment

In a diabetic screening population, metformin use was associated with a lower risk of developing intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) over 5 years, according to a case-controlled study.

Researchers analyzed a random sample of 2,600 participants from more than 10,000 adults aged 50 years and older who attended photographic diabetic retinopathy screening in 2011 as part of the Individualized Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy study. Of these, 2,545 participants had type 2 diabetes and gradable baseline fundus photographs. Age-related macular degeneration severity was graded using a modified Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) system.

At 5 years, 2,089 participants returned for follow-up imaging. After adjustment for confounding factors, metformin use was associated with a reduced incidence of intermediate AMD (P = 0.02).

In univariate analysis, metformin was also associated with a reduced incidence of late AMD (P = 0.02); however, this association was no longer significant after adjusting for age and sex. The number of participants who progressed to late AMD was small. No association was found between metformin use and the incidence of early AMD.

Reference
Romdhoniyyah DF, Alshukri A, Parry DG, Harding S, Beare NAV. Metformin and incidence of age-related macular degeneration in people with diabetes: a population-based 5-year case-control study. BMJ Open Ophthalmol. 2026;11(1):e002339. doi: 10.1136/bmjophth-2025-002339. PMID: 41633708.

Related Content