Glaucoma, a neurodegenerative disease of the optic nerve, is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide and affects three million people in the U.S. alone. Research shows that people with diabetes are twice as likely to develop glaucoma than those who are not diabetic. A recent study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology demonstrated that a class of diabetes medications called GLP-1R agonists, commonly used to control blood glucose levels, may actually have protective benefits against glaucoma. 

What They Did

For the study, scientists from the Scheie Eye Institute at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine analyzed the health data of more than 6,000 diabetic patients. Of those, 1,961 participants (the experimental group) were new users of GLP-1R agonists, and 4,371 participants (the control group) were given drugs from another class of oral diabetic medication. 

What They Found

The researchers discovered that after an average of 150 days, ten patients (0.51%) in the experimental group received a new diagnosis of glaucoma, compared to 58 patients (1.33%) in the control group. 

These results are supported by a 2020 study in which GLP-1R agonists reduced retinal ganglion cell death and neuroinflammation in mice. The drugs have also been shown to protect against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s in various animal models. Clinical trials to test the medication class against neurodegenerative diseases in humans are in progress.

What It Means

The new study findings suggest that GLP-1R agonists may reduce the risk of developing glaucoma by 50% in patients with diabetes. “It was very encouraging to see that a popular diabetes medication could significantly reduce the risk of developing glaucoma,” said Qi N. Cui, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Penn and a co-author of the study. “Our study suggests that these medications warrant further study in this patient population.” 

*Penn Medicine News. (2021, Sep. 20). Diabetes Medications Linked to Glaucoma Prevention [News Release]. https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2021/september/diabetes-medications-linked-to-glaucoma-prevention