Rate of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Patients Prescribed Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists or Other Weight Loss Therapies.

PURPOSE: To compare the hazard of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) among nondiabetic, weight loss-eligible adults prescribed glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs; semaglutide or liraglutide) versus other weight loss (OWL) pharmacotherapies (phentermine, orlistat, setmelanotide, phentermine-topiramate, or bupropion-naltrexone). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged ≥50 years without diabetes who met the criteria for weight loss pharmacotherapy and were prescribed GLP-1 RAs or OWL medications were included. Before matching, 60 336 patients were included in the GLP-1 RA group and 21 609 in the OWL cohort; after matching, 20 959 patients remained in each cohort. METHODS: Cohorts were constructed using de-identified data from the TriNetX Research Network (June 2021-October 2025). Nondiabetic status was defined as the absence of a diabetes mellitus diagnosis, hemoglobin A1c ≥6.5%, or metformin or insulin use. Patients met criteria for weight loss pharmacotherapy with documentation of an obesity diagnosis, body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m, or BMI ≥27 kg/mwith dyslipidemia or hypertension, recorded within 1 year before initiation. Inclusion required ≥2 prescriptions for a single study medication ≥6 months apart. Patients with recorded medication cross-exposure or outcome diagnoses before index were excluded. Cohorts were matched for demographics, established AMD risk factors, covariates influencing treatment allocation, access to ophthalmic care, and proxies for social determinants of health using 1:1 propensity score matching. Outcomes were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hazard ratios (HRs) of nonexudative AMD, exudative AMD, and any AMD (exudative, nonexudative, or unspecified). Changes in BMI and hemoglobin A1c were analyzed to contextualize findings. RESULTS: Compared with OWL pharmacotherapies, GLP-1 RAs were associated with a lower hazard of nonexudative AMD (HR, 0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28-0.78) and any AMD (HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.43-0.85), with no difference for exudative AMD (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.30-1.32). Body mass index and hemoglobin A1c were similar over follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Among nondiabetic adults aged ≥50 years eligible for weight loss pharmacotherapy, prescriptions for GLP-1 RAs were associated with a lower incidence of nonexudative and any (nonexudative, exudative, or unspecified) AMD diagnoses compared with OWL medications. The difference in new exudative AMD diagnoses was not statistically significant. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.