Tirzepatide is a recently FDA-approved therapy for weight loss with significant metabolic benefits, yet its long-term effects on diabetic retinopathy (DR) remain uncertain. To address this gap, a large real-world study compared the risk of DR diagnosis, progression, and need for ocular interventions among 173,846 patients treated with tirzepatide versus matched individuals receiving lifestyle intervention alone. The study found that tirzepatide use was associated with a lower 12-month risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR) incidence and progression compared with lifestyle intervention alone.
Risk reductions were observed for incident mild NPDR (relative risk (RR) 0.864), proliferative DR (RR 0.705), and DR with macular edema (RR 0.624). Significant decreases were also noted in vision-threatening complications, including vitreous hemorrhage (RR 0.607) and tractional retinal detachment (RR…
