Five GLP-1 receptor agonist products sold in Australia — including Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro — now carry updated warnings about reported cases of NAION, a rare condition that can cause sudden and potentially permanent vision loss.
The TGA said patients on these diabetes and obesity medicines who develop sudden full or partial vision loss need urgent ophthalmological assessment, and semaglutide treatment should be stopped if NAION is confirmed.
Optometry Australia told clinicians to treat suspected NAION as an ocular emergency, ask about current or recent GLP-1 use, urgently refer patients and report suspected medicine-related adverse events to the TGA.
The alert does not call for routine screening of asymptomatic GLP-1 users, with assessment and follow-up instead guided by each patient’s symptoms, eye findings and broader risk profile.