Study Links Ozempic to Blindness, Adding to Growing List of Side Effects

Diabetes patients who took Ozempic were more than twice as likely to develop an eye condition that causes vision loss than patients using a different diabetes drug, according to a new study.

The study linked semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy — which in addition to treating diabetes are widely used to lose weight — to non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).

The study, published last week on a preprint server, is undergoing peer review.

NAION can result in sudden vision loss due to loss of blood flow to the optic nerve. It is a major cause of severe vision loss and blindness in adults and the second-most common form of optic nerve damage after glaucoma. There is no effective treatment for the condition.

Doctors have recommended that patients considering taking these drugs should be informed of the risk, Bloomberg reported.

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