Key Highlights :
Ozempic and Wegovy have been associated with isolated reports of vision loss due to NAION, particularly on prolonged use.
EMA proposes update in safety labeling and encourages patients to report assistance if there is sudden vision change.
Key Background :
The European Medicines Agency conducted a broad review of semaglutide safety in December 2024 following multiple reports of suspected drug-ocular adverse effect association. The most concerning among these is NAION—a condition where reduced optic nerve blood supply results in abrupt, usually permanent, vision loss. It ranks second to glaucoma as a cause of optic nerve-related blindness.
Based on the EMA's research, NAION is ranked as an extremely rare side effect, but there is supporting evidence to double in incidence when patients endure extended exposure to drugs such as semaglutide-based drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus. Although low as the combined risk is, around one in 10,000 patients yearly, regulatory response has followed due to the possible effect of sudden vision loss.
Supporting data was provided by large trials, such as a Canadian study on more than one million type 2 diabetic patients. The researchers found that patients who utilized GLP-1 receptor agonists had a higher risk of developing neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), another major eye disease. It has not yet been proven to be causative, but it is a warning and there is a need for further research.
Novo Nordisk, maker of semaglutide, highlighted that its medications have achieved remarkable clinical benefits in the treatment of diabetes and obesity. The firm is currently collaborating with regulators to update product labels and offer further information to doctors. Doctors advise patients taking GLP-1 medications to have their eyes checked regularly and to report any vision disturbances at once since the earlier therapy might stop irreversible damage.