A study of more than 22,000 patients has supported a novel link between psoriasis and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and raised the prospect that treatment with biologic therapies could play a role in reducing the risk.

The retrospective cohort study included patients with psoriasis over 55, comparing their development of AMD with propensity-matched control cohorts over a 10-year period.

The analysis found psoriasis patients had a 56% higher risk of unspecified macular degeneration, a 40% higher risk of exudative (wet) macular degeneration and a 13% higher risk of non-exudative (dry) disease, when compared with a control group of patients with major depressive disorder.

The psoriasis cohort had a 21% higher risk of unspecified macular degeneration compared with a second control group of patients with melanocytic lesions.

A separate analysis compared outcomes based on how patients were being treated for their psoriasis, finding those receiving biologic therapies had a 27% lower risk of developing macular degeneration compared with biologic-naive patients who were treated with topical corticosteroid.

The data was presented by lead author Dr Alison Treichel, a dermatologist at the University of Rochester, as a poster at the EADV Congress 2025 in Paris in September.

“To my knowledge this is the first study that shows psoriasis patients are at higher risk for the dry form of the macular degeneration, and we also confirmed the finding of a couple of previous studies showing a link with the wet form,” Dr Triechel said. 

“In psoriasis, lipid dysregulation causes accelerated atherosclerosis in the blood vessels, and this contributes to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Similarly, in macular degeneration, especially the dry form, you get accumulation of lipids, called drusen, in the retina. This is what leads to the progressive vision loss,” she said. 

Despite these parallels, there had been limited systematic studies looking at whether psoriasis increased the risk of dry macular degeneration.

Dr Triechel said more research was still needed into whether biologic therapies offered protection against the risk of macular degeneration for those with psoriasis. 

“We don’t know if biologics have a true disease modifying effect on the course of eye disease… but it’s definitely an exciting area that we want to explore further.”

It was too soon to recommend any screening changes for psoriasis patients, Dr Treichel said, though the results could help inform patients who noticed changes in vision.

“What is important is that patients know they might be at increased risk and to visit a doctor promptly if they do notice vision changes,” she said.