People who take Ozempic or Wegovy, two popular obesity treatments, are at a high risk of developing sudden vision loss, a recent study suggests. According to CNN on Wednesday, last summer, doctors at Mass Eye and Ear recorded an unusually high number of patients with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a type of eye stroke that causes sudden, painless vision loss in one eye.
NAION is the second-leading cause of optic nerve blindness after glaucoma and can result in permanent blindness due to optic nerve damage caused by lack of blood supply to the optic nerve.
The condition is relatively rare as only up to 10 out of 100,000 people in the general population may experience it. However, the doctors noted three cases in one week, and each of those patients was taking semaglutide medications.
Semaglutide is the main ingredient in diabetes and obesity treatments Ozempic and Rybelsus. It is a long-acting glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) analog, which prompts the body to secrete more insulin to reduce blood sugar and suppress appetite.
An analysis of six years worth of medical records showed that people with diabetes were more than four times more likely to be diagnosed with NAION if they were taking a prescription semaglutide. Those who were overweight or obese were more than seven times more likely to experience the condition if they were taking the medication. The risk of the disease was greatest within the first year of receiving a prescription for semaglutide.
The study was published Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA Ophthalmology.
“The use of these drugs has exploded throughout industrialized countries, providing significant benefits in many ways. However, future discussions between a patient and their physician should include NAION as a potential risk,” said lead researcher of the study Dr. Joseph Rizzo. Rizzo is the director of neuro-ophthalmology at Mass Eye and Ear and a professor at Harvard Medical School.
However, CNN reported that doctors believe that the potential risk of NAION should not deter the use of semaglutide medications to treat diabetes or obesity.
Novo Nordisk, a global pharmaceutical company in Denmark that produces Ozempic and Wegovy, also told CNN that this study is not sufficient to establish a causal relationship between semaglutide and NAION.
Exactly how semaglutide affects eye condition has not been identified yet.
Semaglutide makes the body produce more insulin to lower blood sugar, and there is an opinion that changes in blood sugar levels can affect the shape of an eye’s lens, affecting vision.
Furthermore, diabetes is classified as a risk factor that can cause NAION. “Vision changes” are listed as potential side effects for Ozempic and Wegovy sold in the U.S.
For now, experts advised that patients who are using semaglutide or considering treatment and have optic nerve diseases such as glaucoma should discuss the risk of NAION with their doctor. They also urged for immediate consultation with a doctor if a patient experiences vision changes while using semaglutide.
