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.”