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Updated: Jul 11, 2025

Author Spotlight: Understanding Retinal Vessel Resilience and Disease Progression
Published on: January 12, 2024
Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist and Risk of Diabetic Retinopathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus:
Xiaojuan Jiao1,2,3, Ping Peng1,2,3, Qin Zhang1,2,3
1Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No. 1, Minde Road, Donghu District, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Background:
Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) exhibit glucose-lowering, weight-reducing, and blood pressure-lowering effects. Nevertheless, a debate exists concerning the association between GLP-1RA treatment and the risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Objective:
To ascertain the risk of DR in patients with T2DM undergoing GLP-1RA treatment, we conducted a meta-analysis utilizing data derived from randomized placebo-controlled studies (RCTs).
Methods:
A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and EMBASE. We focused on RCTs involving the use of GLP-1RAs in patients with T2DM. Utilizing R software, we compared the risk of DR among T2DM patients undergoing GLP-1RA treatment. The Cochrane risk of bias method was employed to assess the research quality.
Results:
The meta-analysis incorporated data from 20 RCTs, encompassing a total of 24,832 T2DM patients. Across all included trials, randomization to GLP-1 RA treatment did not demonstrate an increased risk of DR (odds ratio = 1.17; 95% CI 0.98-1.39). Furthermore, no significant heterogeneity or publication bias was detected in the analysis.
Conclusion:
The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that the administration of GLP-1 RA is not associated with an increased risk of DR. PROSPERO REGISTRATION IDENTIFIER: CRD42023413199.
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