Incidence and progression of diabetic retinopathy in patients treated with glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists versus sodium‐glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors: A population‐based cohort study

In patients with pre-existing diabetic retinopathy, treatment with a GLP1 receptor agonist was associated with a 50% higher incidence of diabetic retinopathy progression events compared to treatment with a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor.

• The study involved 97,413 patients diagnosed with diabetes who initiated treatment with either a GLP1 receptor agonist or an SGLT2 inhibitor.
• In the cohort with pre-existing diabetic retinopathy, the incidence of progression events was significantly higher in the GLP1 receptor agonist group.
• The increased risk of progression was primarily due to a higher occurrence of tractional retinal detachment in patients treated with GLP1 receptor agonists.
• For patients without diabetic retinopathy at baseline, the risks of ocular outcomes were similar between the two treatment groups.

AI simplified