Recently presented clinical findings examined whether men and women with type 2 diabetes on glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) develop uveitis at different rates over time.
The research was presented during the 2026 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) conference.
Give me some background first.
Uveitis is an inflammatory eye condition that can cause pain, blurry vision, and permanent vision loss if untreated.
Per the study’s investigators, adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) sit at a higher baseline risk of developing the disease.
As for GLP-1RAs, the class behind Ozempic (semaglutide) and Trulicity (dulaglutide): These have drawn growing attention for potential ocular effects on top of their established diabetes and weight-loss applications.
- See here for more ocular research on GLP-1RAs
Now, talk about the study.
Researchers ran a retrospective cohort analysis pulling from the TriNetX database to evaluate sex-related differences in long-term uveitis risk among GLP-1-RA users.
- To note: TriNetX is a federated healthcare and clinical research platform that aggregates de-identified electronic health records (EHR) and claims data from +250 million patients across the globe.
Following this, the researchers then used Cox proportional hazards models to generate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals at 1-, 3-, and 5-year follow-up points.
Who was included in the study?
The starting cohort included 9,933 men and 9,402 women adhering to inclusion criteria of ≥40 years old, a T2DM diagnosis, and who had previously received at least four prescriptions for a GLP-1-RA.
- Notably: Excluded patients were those with preexisting uveitis or obesity diagnoses prior to the follow-up window.
After propensity score matching (PSM) for demographics, concurrent medications, lab values, comorbidities, and prior ocular procedures, 5,947 patients per cohort were retained.
And the findings?
At 1-year follow-up, uveitis risk was identical between men and women (0.5% vs 0.5%).
At 3-year follow-up, women showed a higher risk (1.1% vs 0.9% in men).
At 5 years, the gap held (1.5% vs 1.3%).
Tell me more.
Cox models confirmed the pattern:
- Men showed a lower but nonsignificant hazard ratio at 1 year (HR 0.754, 95% CI 0.540 to 1.051, p=0.095)
- At 3 years: The difference reached statistical significance (HR 0.743, 95% CI 0.574 to 0.962, p=0.024) and held at 5 years (HR 0.747, 95% CI 0.582 to 0.959, p=0.022).
Any notable limitations?
This was a retrospective database study, so causality could not be inferred.
Also worth noting: Diagnoses and prescription histories came from coded medical records rather than direct clinical examination.
And considering the brevity of the research’s abstract, details were not provided as to the specific uveitis subtype, severity—or whether findings varied by specific GLP-1 formulation.
Noted. So what was the expert opinion?
In their abstract, the researchers noted the findings “potentially illustrate how sex-based differences in the use of GLP-1 medications may influence uveitis risk, highlighting the importance of needing to better approach adults with diabetes regarding eye health.”
Anything else?
The authors flagged that the pattern lines up with prior research showing women tend to develop uveitis more often than men across populations.
They suggested underlying differences in immune-mediated responses to GLP-1 therapy could be at play.
And lastly: the take home.
For clinicians counseling T2DM patients on GLP-1 therapy, sex may be a meaningful variable when discussing potential ocular risk.
Female patients on long-term GLP-1 treatment could benefit from closer monitoring for uveitis symptoms, particularly past the 3-year mark.