Ozempic and similar drugs are popular with consumers for their weight-loss properties, but a new study suggests they could have a harmful side effect that impairs vision.
The review, published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology, focused on nine patients in a study who were taking drugs with the active ingredient semaglutide. Researchers said seven of the nine developed naion, a rare eye condition that reduces the amount of blood flowing to the optic nerve and results in blindness. The other two subjects developed other eye conditions.
“Although a causal link between these drugs and observed complications cannot be established, these findings cannot rule out the possibility that rapid correction of hyperglycemia may be associated with the results reported,” the researchers wrote.
The researchers say their findings are important because nearly 2% of the U.S. population received a prescription for semaglutide in 2023. They say there has been a recent concern that this drug and other similar medications may be associated with ophthalmic complications.
“Patient safety is a top priority for Novo Nordisk, and we take all reports about adverse events from use of our medicines very seriously,” a Novo Nordisk spokesperson told the online publication Quartz. “This also relates to eye conditions, which are well-known comorbidities for people living with diabetes.”
In other words, diabetes patients, who make up the majority of people taking the drugs, may be more prone to serious eye conditions as a result of their disease, rather than the drugs they are taking.
Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic, said it has closely analyzed clinical trials of medications classified as GLP-1 and found no link between the drugs and eye conditions.