Individuals with
Recent research has begun to analyze the association between psoriasis and AMD. One in particular, a nationwide cohort study from January 2025, used psoriasis as an indicator for AMD in patients diagnosed with
“Because abnormal lipid deposition in the retina is a hallmark of age-related macular degeneration, particularly the dry form that causes progressive vision loss, it is biologically plausible that psoriasis could increase AMD risk,” Alison Treichel, MD, assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, said in a statement. “Our study is the first to demonstrate a novel association between psoriasis and non-exudative (dry) AMD and serves as a hypothesis-generating observation for future studies.”1
The study itself, a retrospective 15-year cohort study within TriNetX, included 22901 patients >55 years old with psoriasis. Participants were only included if they had received an eye exam within 10 years of diagnosis; those without, or with a prior diagnosis of AMD, were excluded.3
Participants were compared to 3 propensity-matched control cohorts, including melanocytic nevus (MN) to represent other dermatology patients, major depressive disorder (MDD) to account for healthcare use and chronic disease, and patients who had undergone an ophthalmologic exam (OE) to ensure comparable opportunities for AMD diagnosis. Investigators then analyzed the 10-year incidence and risk ratio (RR) of exudative, non-exudative, and unspecified AMD. The primary outcome was the incidence and RR of unspecified AMD at 10 years.1
Investigators ultimately found a strong association with psoriasis and unspecified AMD relative to the MDD (n = 14,055) and MN (n = 13,279) control cohorts at 10 years (RR, 1.561; 95% CI, 1.344-1.812; P <.0001) (RR, 1.209; 95% CI, 1.047-1.397; P = .0097). Psoriasis was also associated with an increased 10-year risk of exudative AMD relative to the MDD cohort (RR, 1.404; 95% CI, 1.129-1.746; P = .0022) and non-exudative AMD related to the MDD cohort (RR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.011-1.262; P = .0307).3
A separate analysis compared patients with psoriasis who were treated with biologics to those given topical corticosteroids who were biologic-naïve. This analysis found a lower 10-year risk of unspecified AMD compared to those using topical corticosteroids alone (RR, 0.729; 95% CI, 0.606-0.877; P <.0001). This represents a 27% lower risk of developing AMD.1,3
“Our findings support a connection between psoriasis and AMD, both exudative and non-exudative, which could be mediated by shared lipid dysregulation,” Treichel said. “They also suggest that biologic therapies could offer protective benefits beyond skin symptoms. Further research is needed to determine whether these treatments have a true disease-modifying effect and to better understand the role of shared risk factors, including smoking, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and access to special care.”1
References
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Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds. Eurekalert! September 17, 2025. Accessed September 18, 2025.
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1097828 -
Lee MY, Han K, Min KH, Yu DS, Lee YB. Psoriasis as a Predictor of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Nationwide Cohort Study. Am J Ophthalmol. 2025;269:236-245.
doi:10.1016/j.ajo.2024.08.033 -
Treichel A, Thomas K, McCormick T, et al. Psoriasis is Associated with an Increased Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Results from a Retrospective Observational Cohort Study. Abstract presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress 2025 in Paris, France, September 17-20, 2025.