Association Between GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Ischemic Optic Neuropathy: A Meta-analysis
Authors' conclusion
GLP-1 RA use was associated with a modest increase in NAION risk but not overall ocular adverse events. Findings underscore the need for long-term postmarketing safety studies and should be interpreted against their well-established mortality and cardio-kidney-metabolic benefits.
Study context
- Population
- Longitudinal studies (trials and nonrandomized studies) from PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library, searched August 202515 studies (8 trials)
- Participants
- >1.5 million participants
- Comparison
- GLP-1 RA use vs no GLP-1 RA use
- Outcome
- Nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION)
Methodological detailsrandom-effects Peto and inverse-variance models
- Random-effects Peto and inverse-variance models
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
GLP-1 RA
0.09%
GLP-1 RA vs No GLP-1 RAOdds ratio (95% CI)
NAION
1.70(1.23–2.36)
- NNH ∼2,700
- risk difference 0.037%
Further pooled results
| Outcome | OR (CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAION, randomized studies | 2.36 (0.85–6.53) | P = 0.51, for heterogeneity | |
| NAION, nonrandomized studies | 1.64 (1.15–2.35) | P = 0.51, for heterogeneity | |
| 0.10.31310Odds ratio (log scale) |
Safety
Any ocular event
- No association with overall ocular events
- OR 0.95; 95% CI 0.86-1.05
Original publication
Association Between GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Ischemic Optic Neuropathy: A Meta-analysis. Diabetes Care. Published 7 January 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →