New Research: A Recognizable Weight Loss & Diabetes Drug May Harm Vision

Obesity and diabetes are strongly correlated—and, given the optical problems that can occur due to what the American Academy of Ophthalmology calls “diabetic eye disease,” heeding vision changes can be one telling way of monitoring for diabetes symptoms.

Now, new research from Denmark suggests that if you take Ozempic for weight loss or to manage diabetes, this could yield another set of vision problems for patients to be mindful of. After a July 2024 U.S. study had determined that Ozempic can raise the risk of optic nerve damage, the findings of two Danish studies have reinforced this finding.

The condition is known as “non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy” (NAION), and it occurs from “damage to the optic nerve of the eye caused by a sudden stop of blood flow” to the nerve, says a research team led by Jakob Grauslund, DMSci, PhD, MD, professor of ophthalmology at University of Southern Denmark (SDU), adding: “This is a condition that can lead to severe and permanent loss of vision.” The American Academy of Ophthalmology notes that NAION is considered to be the most common cause of acute optic nerve injury in individuals older than 50, and up to 10 in every 100,000 people over the age of 50 will experience the condition.

One of the two Danish studies was inspired by a trend that Dr. Grausland said eye doctors have been noticing among patients: “[…In] the clinic we have noticed that since Ozempic came on the market in 2018, the number of NAION cases in Denmark has increased.” He added: “Whereas we used to see between 60 and 70 cases of NAION per year, we are now seeing up to 150 … In addition, we have noticed that the patients who come to hospital due to NAION are more often patients with type 2 diabetes.”

In their separate studies, Dr. Grausland and Anton Pottegård, DMSci, PhD, professor of pharmaceuticals at the same university, used two different methods to analyze healthy registry data from all 424,152 Danes living with Type 2 diabetes. Of that demographic, 106,454 patients used Ozempic as part of their treatment plan—this included “all Danish users of Ozempic,” a press release highlights.

Following his team’s study, Dr. Grauslund commented: “[…We] found that the risk is doubled.” The authors add that “this applies to everyone with type 2 diabetes and not just to those patients who are already very ill.”

Both Drs. Grauslund and Pottegård have commented that while this trend has risen, NAION “is a serious but very rare side effect” of Ozempic use. Further, Dr. Grausland’s team found that it was five-year usage of Ozempic that showed this effect.

The researchers also note that if left untreated, diabetes can also lead to serious health complications involving vision loss—and in general, the researchers are not advising that patients should quit Ozempic use. The Danish research “is, so to speak, just a new piece of the puzzle of understanding how this drug works,” Dr. Pottegård said.

If you are taking any weight loss or diabetes injectable, note that scientists are still discovering possible long-term harms these drugs can cause to patient health. And, watch the market: In December 2024, the FDA approved a generic alternative to some GLP-1 injections.

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