Ozempic, Wegovy use may be linked to ‘eye stroke’ and blindness, study finds

globalnews.ca:

Ozempic and Wegovy may have an increased risk of sudden and irreversible vision loss and blindness, a new study has found.However, doctors say there’s no reason for patients who take the uber popular drugs to panic or discontinue taking their prescriptions.The study, conducted by Harvard researchers and published Wednesday in JAMA Ophthalmology, analyzed data from 16,827 patients over a six-year period at the Mass Eye and Ear Harvard teaching hospital.Published in @JAMAOphth: Semaglutide, taken for diabetes or obesity, was associated with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Further study would be needed to clarify if this drug causes NAION associated with visual loss.https://t.co/mT9PVyEoRO pic.twitter.com/L3bDzVC2Dy— JAMA (@JAMA_current) July 4, 2024Of those, 710 had type 2 diabetes, with 194 being prescribed semaglutide medications, marketed under brandnames like Wegovy and Ozempic, that belong to a class of medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists.Another 975 patients in the study were overweight or living with obesity, 361 of them being prescribed semaglutide.Among those prescribed semaglutide, an eye problem known as nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, or NAION, was eventually diagnosed in a small percentage of patients.