Grant: Project Grant

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common complication of diabetes and is the leading cause of blindness and vision impairment in working-age adults. Pivotal studies have established that tight control of blood glucose levels decreases the risk of developing severe DR. However, these studies were conducted before the availability of the newer oral diabetes medication classes, including dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4Is) and sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2Is). Numerous lines of evidence suggest that these newer oral diabetes medications differ in their effects on DR. As a consequence, the effects of DPP4Is and SGLT2Is on DR remain uncertain. The goal of this project is to assess the effectiveness of newer diabetes drugs in preventing severe DR. We will conduct a population-based study using administrative health care databases. These databases will be accessed through the secure, privacy-protected environment at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), where a number of team members hold appointments as scientists and have a long history working with these data. This project will provide the largest population-based study to evaluate the effects of newer diabetes drugs on the development of severe DR. The team's engagement with key health system organizations and patient advisors will ensure that the research outputs can be directly mobilized to improve health policy and health care.