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Popular weight-loss drugs have been linked to a rare eye-blindness condition, according to a new study.
Patients with diabetes or obesity are typically prescribed weight-loss drugs, such as Ozempic or Wegovy, that contain the protein semaglutide, which helps control blood sugar by boosting insulin production.
A team of researchers led by Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital in the US found that obese patients who were given these weight loss drugs were seven times more likely to develop NAION, or ‘non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy’, which causes sudden loss of vision in one eye.
They also found that diabetic patients who were taking these semaglutide-containing drugs were four times more likely to be diagnosed with NAION. These findings are published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Ophthalmology.
“We did not have this information previously, and it should be incorporated into discussions between patients and their doctors, especially if patients have other known optic nerve problems, such as glaucoma, or already have significant visual loss from other causes,” said lead author Joseph Rizzo, MD, director of the Neuro-Ophthalmology Service at Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
Rizzo stressed that the increased risk is related to a relatively uncommon disorder and that further study is needed because researchers don’t know why or how the link between weight-loss drugs and the eye condition exists.
Therefore, Rizzo said, “these findings should be considered significant but tentative.”
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, NAION is relatively rare, affecting 2-10 people per 100,000 population. The condition is believed to be caused by reduced blood flow to the optic nerve head, leading to permanent loss of vision in one eye.
In their analysis, the researchers included data from the records of more than 17,000 hospitalized patients with diabetes or obesity who were given semaglutide-containing or other weight-loss drugs.
“Use of these drugs has grown rapidly in industrialized countries and has provided a number of important benefits, but future discussions between patients and their physicians should include NAION as a potential risk,” Rizzo said.
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