Ozempic is increasingly being linked to vision loss. What’s the truth?
Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy could raise the risk of a rare form of vision loss, but we are still trying to unpick why. Ozempic, Wegovy and similar drugs are, without a doubt, revolutionising medicine. They have transformed our ability to manage obesity and type 2 diabetes, but have actually shown potential for a wide range of conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, addiction and depression. Yet, as our understanding of the benefits of these drugs grows, so too does our knowledge about their potential side effects, one of which appears to be a rare type of vision loss called non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), which most commonly includes cloudiness, blurring and dark spots. “Given that millions of people are taking these drugs, even with rare side effects, that can [amount] to anywhere from tens of thousands to even potentially hundreds of thousands of people who could be at risk,” says Mohit Sodhi at the University of British Columbia in Canada.
