A shocking new study has revealed an unexpected side effect of weight loss drugs, raising concerns for thousands of adults on GLP-1 medications. Experts in a study published by JAMA Ophthalmology warn about three potentially blinding eye conditions caused by Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs.
The experts found that nine people taking semaglutide and tirzepatide, an active ingredient in Zepbound and Mounjaro suffered from vision issues, including nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), as well as two other potentially blinding eye conditions.
This isn't the first time the weight loss drugs have been linked to blindness. In July last year, a research had linked semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic to NAION.
For the study, researchers analyzed reports from nine patients—five females and four males—with an average age of about 58. Out of which, seven of them developed NAION. Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is a type of eye stroke, which occurs due to a lack of sufficient blood flow to the optic nerve. It can cause sudden blindness in one or both eyes.
“One (participant) developed a stroke in the retina — this is the part of your eye that absorbs light and turns it into an electrical signal for your brain,” Bradley Katz, MD, PhD, an ophthalmologist at the John A Moran Eye Center and professor in the department of ophthalmology & visual sciences at the University of Utah and lead author of this study, told Medical News Today. “This stroke also causes irreversible loss of vision in one eye.”
“The ninth patient developed swelling in both optic nerves but did not lose vision,” Katz added.
Possible causes of vision lossResearchers suggest that a swift decrease in blood sugar levels could damage the optic nerves.
“These drugs are very effective at reducing blood sugar and when one rapidly reduces blood sugar it can cause swelling in the optic nerve,” Katz explained.
“It can also temporarily worsen diabetic eye changes. How it causes swelling is thought to be due an osmotic shift. When there’s more ‘stuff’ in your blood — in this case sugar — and you suddenly reduce the amount of stuff in the blood, it causes rapid shifts in fluid between blood vessels and cells in the eye,” he said.
Diabetic eye changes, known as diabetic retinopathy, occur when high blood sugar damages the blood vessels in the retina, leading to vision problems or blindness. Early stages may cause mild vision issues, while advanced stages can result in swelling, bleeding, and retinal detachment. Regular eye exams and blood sugar control are crucial for preventing severe complications.
Semaglutide's effects on eyes
Semaglutide that can help control blood sugar in people by releasing hormones that make one feel full, also prompts the body to create more insulin, which reduces blood sugar.
When the body undergoes a change in sugar level, it can affect the shape of the eye’s lens. This change is what causes blurry vision, a side effect of semaglutide, says an article published in American Academy of Ophthalmology
Another AAO study has suggested that there is an association between blood sugar control and worsening of diabetic retinopathy.
“It can also temporarily worsen diabetic eye changes. How it causes swelling is thought to be due an osmotic shift. When there’s more ‘stuff’ in your blood — in this case sugar — and you suddenly reduce the amount of stuff in the blood, it causes rapid shifts in fluid between blood vessels and cells in the eye,” Katz said.
However, more studies are needed to establish this connection and this remains a rare side effect of Ozempic, feel researchers.
Some of the common side effects of Ozempic have been listed by WebMd as breathing problems or wheezing, racing heart, fever, swollen lymph nodes, swelling of the face, trouble swallowing, throat tightness, itching, skin rash, or pale red bumps on the skin called hives and nausea or vomiting
The weight loss drug has also been associated with thyroid tumors, pancreatitis, changes in vision, hypoglycemia, gallbladder issues, kidney failure and cancer.
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