Study Finds Link Between Semaglutide and a Rare Blinding Condition

A new study led by investigators from Mass Eye and Ear has discovered that patients prescribed semaglutide (marketed as Ozempic or Wegovy) for diabetes or weight loss had a higher risk of developing a potentially blinding eye condition called Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION) compared to similar patients who had not been prescribed these drugs.

The findings were published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.

NAION (Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy) is a relatively rare condition, affecting up to 10 out of every 100,000 people. It is the second leading cause of optic nerve blindness, following glaucoma, and the most common cause of sudden optic nerve blindness. NAION occurs due to reduced blood flow to the optic nerve head, resulting in permanent vision loss in one eye. This condition causes painless visual loss, which may progress over several days before stabilizing. There are currently no effective treatments for NAION.

For the study, researchers examined the records of over 17,000 patients treated at Mass Eye and Ear over six years since the release of Ozempic. They divided the patients into groups diagnosed with either diabetes or overweight/obesity. They compared those who had been prescribed semaglutide with those taking other diabetes or weight loss medications.

The analysis revealed a significant increase in the risk of NAION diagnoses among patients using semaglutide.

Semaglutide was developed to treat type 2 diabetes. The drug encourages weight loss, and its use has snowballed since its launch as Ozempic for diabetes in 2017. The drug was also approved for weight management, branded as Wegovy, and released in 2021.

"Our findings should be viewed as being significant but tentative, as future studies are needed to examine these questions in a much larger and more diverse population. This is information we did not have before and it should be included in discussions between patients and their doctors, especially if patients have other known optic nerve problems like glaucoma or if there is preexisting significant visual loss from other causes,” said Joseph Rizzo, director of the Neuro-Ophthalmology Service at Mass Eye and Ear.

Reference: Hathaway, J et al. "Risk of Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy in Patients Prescribed Semaglutide" JAMA Ophthalmology DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2024.2296