A new retrospective study has found the diabetes drug metformin is no help for delaying onset or progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Authors of the study said metformin has demonstrated protective effects in systemic diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and choroidal neovascularisation.

While the literature suggests metformin may reduce the risk of AMD, a consensus has not been reached, they wrote.

Using a large electronic health record platform, data from January 2013 to June 2025 was analysed.

The study authors found, in a cohort of patients with no AMD, those prescribed metformin had a generally similar risk of developing any AMD vs those without a prescription, with the risk remaining similar at five and 10 years.1

In patients who already had mild or moderate nonexudative AMD, those prescribed metformin had a comparable risk of AMD progression compared with those not prescribed metformin. Again, the risks were similar at five and 10 years.

“This study suggests that, overall, metformin is not associated with significant development or progression of AMD. Further studies and prospective analyses are necessary to evaluate whether dosage and longevity of metformin use are associated with AMD development or progression,” the authors concluded.

The research was published in JAMA Ophthalmology.1

Reference

1. Jindal DA, Hanna J, Talcott KE, et al. Metformin and the development of age-related macular degeneration. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2025 Sep 18:e253070. doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2025.3070. Epub ahead of print.