Medical Research – Diabetes and Vision

A University of Liverpool analysis of eye images from roughly 2,000 adults with diabetes over age 55 found that those taking the common diabetes drug metformin were 37% less likely to develop intermediate age‑related macular degeneration (AMD) over five years than similar patients not on the drug. Researchers reviewed diabetic eye‑screening photos, graded AMD severity, and adjusted for factors including age, sex, and diabetes duration before comparing outcomes between metformin users and non‑users. Lead ophthalmologist Nick Bear called it a potential 'breakthrough' for a condition that is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in older adults and currently has no treatment for most patients, but stressed the work is observational and does not prove metformin caused the reduced risk. The study only included people with diabetes, did not have precise dosing or adherence data, and the authors say a randomized clinical trial is needed to test metformin as an AMD treatment, particularly in people without diabetes. Because metformin is cheap, off‑patent, and already widely prescribed in the U.S., any future confirmation could have major implications for eye‑care guidelines and geriatric practice.