Rutgers Study Links Ozempic, Wegovy to 3-4 Extra Vision Loss Cases per 10,000
Updated
Updated · ScienceDaily · Oct 15
Rutgers Study Links Ozempic, Wegovy to 3-4 Extra Vision Loss Cases per 10,000
3 articles · Updated · ScienceDaily · Oct 15
Summary
A large Rutgers-led study found GLP-1 drugs including Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound were associated with a small increase in ischemic optic neuropathy, a rare condition that can cause sudden, potentially permanent vision loss.
The excess risk was about three to four additional cases per 10,000 patients over 18 months among U.S. adults ages 18 to 65 with Type 2 diabetes who had recently started treatment.
Cases were more common in men and in patients ages 50 to 65, and symptoms can include sudden blurriness, dimming or missing areas of vision in one eye.
The study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, did not prove the drugs cause optic nerve damage; researchers said underlying health differences could also explain the association.
With GLP-1 use expanding widely for diabetes and weight loss, the authors urged continued safety monitoring and prompt eye evaluation for sudden vision changes.