TOPLINE:

In adults with overweight or obesity who did not have diabetes, the use of GLP‑1 receptor agonists was associated with a 70% lower risk of developing age‑related cataracts over 10 years than the use of other weight‑loss drugs. The association was strongest for cortical cataracts, with an 85% reduction in risk.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate the risk of developing age-related cataract among patients with overweight or obesity but without diabetes who were prescribed GLP-1 receptor agonists.
• They analyzed electronic health records of patients aged 55 years or older with a diagnosis of overweight or obesity, excluding those with a diagnosis of diabetes or a prior diagnosis of age-related cataracts, and divided the sample into three cohorts: patients prescribed GLP-1 receptor agonists (semaglutide or liraglutide), those prescribed other weight-loss drugs, and those not prescribed any weight-loss medications.
• The primary analysis compared the risk of developing age-related cataract in patients prescribed GLP-1 receptor agonists with those prescribed other weight-loss drugs at 5-, 7-, and 10-year intervals.
• After propensity matching, 53,882 patients remained in both the GLP-1 receptor agonist and other weight-loss drug cohorts, with mean ages of 61.0 and 60.9 years, respectively.

TAKEAWAY:

• Compared with the use of other weight-loss drugs, the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists was associated with a 59% reduced risk for age-related cataract at 5 years (relative risk [RR], 0.41; P < .0001), a 65% reduced risk at 7 years (RR, 0.35; P < .0001), and a 70% reduced risk at 10 years (RR, 0.30; P < .0001).
• The greatest risk reductions at 10 years were observed for cortical cataracts (85% reduction) and posterior subcapsular cataracts (79% reduction).
• Treatment with GLP‑1 receptor agonists was associated with a substantially lower risk for cataract than not using any weight-loss medication; the use of other weight-loss drugs was linked to a higher risk than no treatment.
• The protective effect of GLP-1 receptor agonists was seen both in patients who identified as Black or African American and those who identified as White, each having about a 70% reduction in risk at 10 years.

IN PRACTICE:

“These findings raise the possibility that GLP-1 RAs [receptor agonists] may differentially influence cataract pathogenesis depending on lens region, although the biological basis for these effects currently remains unclear,” the researchers reported.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Abhimanyu S. Ahuja, of the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and Alfredo A. Paredes III, of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. It was published online on October 21, 2025, in American Journal of Ophthalmology.

LIMITATIONS:

The study relied on standard diagnostic codes, which are subject to variations in documentation accuracy across healthcare sites. Prescription records served as proxies for medication exposure, without confirmation of actual adherence. Information on exact dosing, frequency, and duration of therapy was not available. 

DISCLOSURES:

This study was supported by an unrestricted grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, a National Institutes of Health Core Grant, and the Malcolm M. Marquis, MD Endowed Fund for Innovation. The authors reported having no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.