Weight Loss Drug Ocular Side Effect
Ozempic and Wegovy are semaglutide (GLP-1 inhibitor) injection drugs used for weight loss. I recently read a case report where a 49- year- old male suffered sudden blindness in one eye 9 days after starting Ozempic. The cause was nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).
The writer said researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear (July 2024) had linked use of GLP-1 inhibitors to vision loss attributed to NAION and said there was a 3 % risk of developing NAION with these drugs.
Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) occurs in males more than females, is more common with small cup to disc ratios (disc at risk), is sudden, usually unilateral at first, and typically causes reduced vision, poor color vision, and a superior or inferior hemianopsia. The arteritic form is more common in those over 60 and the nonarteritic form is more common at ages 40-60.
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