New research suggests that worsening heart, kidney, and metabolic health may increase the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common eye disease that can lead to vision loss in older adults. The study shows that people with advanced cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome face a much higher risk of this condition.
Researchers studied health data from more than 319,000 adults in the UK Biobank. The participants were between 40 and 69 years old at the start of the study and did not have AMD at that time. They were followed for an average of 12.5 years to see who later developed the disease.
CKM syndrome includes a combination of problems such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and heart disease. Participants were divided into five stages, from stage 0 (healthy) to stage 4 (most severe), based on these risk factors.
During the study period, nearly 5,000 people developed AMD. The results showed a clear pattern. As CKM syndrome became more severe, the risk of AMD increased. People at stage 4 had a 48% higher risk of developing AMD compared to those at stage 0. Each increase in CKM stage raised the risk of AMD by about 9%.
The researchers also looked at genetic risk. People with a high genetic tendency for AMD had a 70% higher risk of developing the disease. However, genetic risk did not strongly change the link between CKM syndrome and AMD. This means poor heart, kidney, and metabolic health raised AMD risk regardless of genetic background.
Those with both advanced CKM syndrome and high genetic risk faced the greatest danger of developing AMD.
The researchers said the findings highlight the importance of regular screening and proper management of heart, kidney, and metabolic conditions. Keeping these systems healthy may help protect vision, even for people who are genetically more likely to develop AMD.
The study was published in January 2026 in the American Journal of Ophthalmology. Researchers noted that because the study was observational, it cannot prove cause and effect, and results may not apply equally to all populations.
