Key Summary
- Metformin linked to 37% lower risk of intermediate Age-related macular degeneration in diabetics.
- 5-year study proves the potential protective effect on vision.
- Experts opined more studies need to be done to confirm the effect.
Metformin, a first-line medicine used to treat type 2 diabetes, has been helpful to reduce intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by 37 per cent in diabetes patients, the European Medical Journal (EMJ) has stated.
This was mentioned in a five-year-long observational study, “Metformin and incidence of age-related macular degeneration in people with diabetes: a population-based 5-year case-control study,” published in the BMJ Open Ophthalmology.
AMD is an age-related retinal condition causing partial vision loss from the loss of central vision, a common cause of blindness in high-income countries.
The treatment has a limited long-term success and unaffordable to many.
The study observed over 2,600 individuals above 50 years who had attended retinopathy screening in 2011, and data regarding metformin prescription was collected from their GP records.
However, researchers did not have data regarding the dose, duration of prior use, or compliance of metformin use.
The researchers said that further studies should focus on reducing the incidence of AMD at an intermediate stage, before vision loss, leading to favourable outcomes for patients and health systems.
