Potential Eye Disorders in People With and Without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Exposed to GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: An Examination of the FAERS (FDA Adverse Event Reporting System) Database.

Am J Ophthalmol · 2026

Last updated 2026-05-28

A study using FDA reports found that people taking GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide, tirzepatide, and liraglutide had higher reported cases of eye disorders such as optic ischemic neuropathy, cataracts, and retinopathy compared to those taking metformin. The increased reports were seen in both people with and without type 2 diabetes, though the study notes further research is needed to confirm if the drugs directly cause these issues.

AI summary of the abstract below.

Journal	Am J Ophthalmol, 2026
Citations	1
Molecules	—
Conditions studied	Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

PURPOSE: As use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) for Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and weight management increases, emerging research identifies various adverse drug reactions. This study aimed to expand this research base, focusing on eye disorders in people with and without T2DM, a novel consideration.

DESIGN: A retrospective clinical cohort disproportionality analysis of reports made to the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).

METHODS: FAERS was queried regarding selected GLP-1RAs. Python 3.11 was adopted to develop a program, quantifying reported cases between January 2017 - September 2025 (January 2022-September 2025 for tirzepatide) meeting the criteria for cases with and without T2DM. Main outcome measures Reporting Odds Ratios (RORs) >4.000 and 95% confidence intervals were calculated, with metformin and orlistat as controls.

RESULTS: Compared to metformin, semaglutide showed increased reporting of optic ischemic neuropathy (ROR: 12.269 [0.915-1.967]), cataract (ROR: 31.879 [2.463-4.461]) and retinopathy (ROR: 5.185 [0.556-2.736]) in T2DM patients, and retinopathy (ROR: 9.424 [1.081-3.406]) and retinal hemorrhage (ROR: 10.253 [0.319-4.336]) in non-T2DM patients. Tirzepatide showed increased reporting of optic ischemic neuropathy (ROR: 4.619 [0.726-2.335]) and macular degeneration (ROR: 15.579 [0.554-4.938]) in T2DM patients and eye swelling (ROR: 6.475 [0.407-3.329]) in non-T2DM patients. Liraglutide showed increased reporting of cataract (ROR: 53.866 [2.945-5.028]), diabetic retinopathy (ROR: 18.162 [1.753-4.045]) and macular degeneration (ROR: 26.261 [1.076-5.460]) in T2DM patients and cataract (ROR: 9.628 [1.387-3.142]) and macular degeneration (ROR: 9.557 [0.110-4.405]) in non-T2DM patients.

CONCLUSIONS: These results provide a signal of increased reporting of various eye disorders with GLP-1RA use compared to metformin across T2DM and non-T2DM patient cases. Further research is required to support these findings and confirm a biological causation.

Verbatim abstract via PubMed 41429246 ↗