A common medication for diabetes may slow down age-related vision loss, according to new research.
People with diabetes who were over the age of 55 and taking metformin — a prescription drug most commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes — were 37% less likely to develop intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) over five years compared to those not taking it.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool used eye pictures from 2,000 people who received routine diabetic eye disease screenings over the course of five years.
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Next, they assessed whether AMD was present in the photos and how severe each case was, before comparing the differences between people taking metformin and those who did not take it, according to a press release.
They also adjusted for factors that could potentially skew the results, such as age, sex and how long they'd had diabetes.
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"Most people who suffer from AMD have no treatment, so this is a great breakthrough in our search for new treatments," said Nick Bear, an ophthalmologist at the University of Liverpool in the U.K., who led the research.
"What we need to do now is test metformin as a treatment for AMD in a clinical trial. Metformin has the potential to save many people’s sight," he added.
While the results are promising, researchers noted that the study was observational, meaning it shows a link between the drug and eye health, but does not prove metformin was the direct cause of the improvement.
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The study also focused only on people with diabetes. It is unclear whether the drug would have the same effect on people without the condition.
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Additionally, the researchers did not have data on the specific doses of metformin patients took or how strictly they followed their prescriptions.
Metformin is an off-patent, low-cost drug already widely used to manage blood sugar, according to Mayo Clinic.
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Scientists believe its anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties may help protect the retina.
Mayo Clinic says metformin is generally safe, but can cause digestive side effects and vitamin B12 deficiency in some patients.
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