Association Between PCSK9 Inhibitor Use and Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
CY, T., CH, W., CY, T., YJ, S., JP, C., HM, C., IJ, W., & CC, C. (2026). Association Between PCSK9 Inhibitor Use and Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.. Translational vision science & technology. https://doi.org/10.1167/tvst.15.5.29
CY T, CH W, CY T, YJ S, JP C, HM C, et al. Association Between PCSK9 Inhibitor Use and Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.. Translational vision science & technology. 2026; doi: 10.1167/tvst.15.5.29
CY T, CH W, CY T, et al. Association Between PCSK9 Inhibitor Use and Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.[J]. Translational vision science & technology. 2026. DOI: 10.1167/tvst.15.5.29.
@article{cy2026,
author = {Tsai CY and Weng CH and Tsai CY and Sheen YJ and Chen JP and Chen HM and Wang IJ and Chou CC},
title = {Association Between PCSK9 Inhibitor Use and Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.},
journal = {Translational vision science & technology},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1167/tvst.15.5.29},
note = {PMID: 42212887},
}
TY - JOUR AU - Tsai CY AU - Weng CH AU - Tsai CY AU - Sheen YJ AU - Chen JP AU - Chen HM AU - Wang IJ AU - Chou CC TI - Association Between PCSK9 Inhibitor Use and Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration. T2 - Translational vision science & technology PY - 2026 DO - 10.1167/tvst.15.5.29 AN - PMID:42212887 ER -
PURPOSE: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been linked to systemic lipid imbalance, vascular dysfunction, and inflammation. The ocular effects of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors, a novel class of lipid-lowering agents, have not been established. We evaluated whether PCSK9 inhibitor use is associated with reduced AMD risk compared with statin therapy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study using the TriNetX multinational electronic health record database (2015-2024) with up to 5 years of follow-up. Adults aged ≥50 years with hyperlipidemia but no prior retinal disease were included. Participants were assigned to PCSK9 inhibitor or statin therapy groups and matched 1:1 based on demographic, clinical, and laboratory variables. Cox proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and Kaplan-Meier analyses illustrated cumulative AMD incidence. RESULTS: Among 56,660 matched participants, PCSK9 inhibitor use was associated with a significantly lower risk of AMD compared with statin therapy (HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.73-0.90). The association remained robust in sensitivity analyses across different follow-up intervals. Stratified analyses showed consistent findings in both age groups (50-75 and ≥75 years), male participants, those without type 2 diabetes, nonobese individuals, and those with <2 years of hyperlipidemia duration. CONCLUSIONS: In this large real-world cohort, PCSK9 inhibitor use was associated with a lower AMD risk compared with statin monotherapy. Prospective studies are needed to confirm causality. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: This study supports further evaluation of PCSK9 inhibition as a potential strategy to modify AMD risk.