- A new study finds an association between semaglutide and a rare eye condition.
- The condition, called nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, can cause blindness.
- The authors note that this finding is preliminary, and more research is needed.
A new study, which appeared in
The condition, called nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), affects around
The new study finds that people with diabetes who were prescribed semaglutide — which is marketed as Ozempic and Wegovy, among other names — were more than four times more likely to develop NAION compared with people with diabetes on other medications.
Similarly, those who were prescribed the drug to treat overweight or obesity were over seven times more likely to receive a NAION diagnosis than people taking other weight loss drugs.
Despite being relatively rare, NAION is a significant cause of blindness in the U.S. It causes a painless, permanent loss of vision, which
Medical News Today spoke with Joel Kopelman, MD an oculofacial plastic surgeon and board-certified ophthalmologist.
He explained that: “This vision loss can range from mild to severe. The condition can progress quickly, with most of the vision loss occurring within days to weeks of the onset of symptoms.”
Kopleman, who was not involved in the recent study, also told us that NAION has “an estimated incidence of 2-10 per 100,000 people annually in the United States. The prevalence is similar globally,” he explained, “although exact figures can vary based on regional health demographics and reporting practices.”
Most commonly, it affects middle-aged or older white people. Generally, it only affects one eye at a time. However, for around 43% of people, their other eye…
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