Association seen in seniors with type 2 diabetes; greater associations seen for semaglutide and liraglutide<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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TUESDAY, Aug. 5, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For older adults with type 2 diabetes, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) use is associated with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), according to a research letter published online July 31 in JAMA Ophthalmology<\/em>.<\/p>\n Kin Wah Fung, M.D., from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues conducted an observational cohort study involving Medicare enrollees aged 65 years or older with type 2 diabetes to examine the association between use of GLP-1 RAs and NAION. Patients using GLP-1 RAs were compared to patients using other antidiabetic medications; GLP-1 RAs were first assessed as a class and then as individual drugs with propensity score adjustment.<\/p>\n A total of 3,845,171 patients with type 2 diabetes were included; 15.1 percent were prescribed GLP-1 RAs (6.6 percent dulaglutide, 4.9 percent semaglutide, 4.2 percent liraglutide, and 2.1 percent exenatide); 34.8 percent were prescribed metformin; and 21.7 percent were prescribed insulin. The researchers found that 7,660 patients (0.2 percent) developed NAION during a median follow-up of 3.7 years. The use of any GLP-1 RA was associated with an increased risk for NAION compared with other second-line antidiabetic medications (hazard ratio, 1.15). There was a median of 3.3 years between initiation of GLP-1 RA use and incidence of NAION. An increased risk for NAION was seen in association with two GLP-1 RAs (hazard ratios, 1.39 and 1.25 for semaglutide and liraglutide, respectively).<\/p>\n “The risk of NAION warrants further research given the increasing use of GLP-1 RAs and the seriousness of NAION,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required) <\/a><\/p>\n