GLP-1 weight loss drugs can cause blindness

GLP-1 weight loss drugs can cause blindness by Robert Gambert Wed, November 11, 2026 at 7:54 AM 6 VIEW ALL PHOTOS Texans using GLP-1 drugs for weight loss or diabetes now face a new safety warning from the Food and Drug Administration about the risk of a rare eye condition that can cause permanent vision loss. Comment on this story 0 Comment Share story Share topics: FDA NAION GLP-1 Ozempic Wegovy Mounjaro Zepbound Diabetic-retinopathy SAN ANTONIO — Texans using GLP-1 drugs for weight loss or diabetes now face a new safety warning from the Food and Drug Administration about the risk of a rare eye condition that can cause permanent vision loss. The FDA announced it will require all GLP-1 medications, including popular drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound and Foundayo, to carry a warning about nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy or NAION. NAION is caused by reduced blood flow to the optic nerve and can result in sudden, irreversible vision loss. The FDA decision follows a review of clinical trials, patient reports and published research, but the agency said a direct connection between the medications and NAION is still unclear. Cases have been reported for all marketed GLP-1 products. Stephanie Colorado, an Austin optometrist, explained that NAION is "like a stroke of the eye where the blood vessels, pretty much the blood flow to the optic nerve, it starves your optic nerves." She said symptoms can include waking up with blurry vision but described the risk as very low. "The risk is still very low. So when the FDA did a meta-analysis, they basically took a group of people that were on GLP ones and said, maybe six out of 100,000 people can potentially have this disease," Colorado said. Colorado, who has taken GLP-1 medications herself, is not worried but encourages being proactive. "Go get an eye exam just to check your optic nerve and make sure you don't have what we call a disk at risk," she said. According to Roy Wilson, M.D., from Kresge Eye Institute, NAION can have a lasting effect. "Over the long term, it's gonna stabilize at whatever it's going to, the vision's gonna be and you're not gonna improve much," Wilson said. Data from more than 134,000 patients in 126 clinical trials found 6.4 cases of NAION per 100,000 patient-years among GLP-1 users, compared to 3.8 cases for people on other treatments or placebos. Most studies found the risk higher for patients using GLP-1 drugs, especially in those with type 2 diabetes, compared with other diabetes medications like DPP-4 inhibitors and SGLT-2 inhibitors. Drugmakers responded to the new FDA warning. Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic and Wegovy, said it “continues to believe the data do not establish a cause-and-effect relationship, and we remain confident in the benefit-risk profile of our GLP-1 medicines.” Eli Lilly, which produces Mounjaro, Zepbound and Foundayo, called patient safety its “top priority.” The FDA also noted that diabetes itself is a risk factor for NAION, which makes it harder to separate out whether the eye damage is caused by the drugs or by the disease. GLP-1 medications already carry strong warnings for other potential side effects. Both semaglutide (the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic) and tirzepatide (used in Mounjaro) list risks for diabetic retinopathy, which can damage the blood vessels in the back of the eye and lead to vision problems. In a two-year study, 3 percent of Ozempic patients experienced complications from diabetic retinopathy, compared to 1.8 percent of those on a placebo. Mounjaro’s label warns about possible worsening of diabetic retinopathy when blood sugar improves rapidly. European and British regulators issued warnings specific to semaglutide last year, saying the risk of NAION could affect as many as 1 in 10,000 people. The FDA’s new warning now extends to all GLP-1 drugs for patients in the United States. While the overall risk remains small, experts say the damage is likely permanent. Trending Family of five killed after SUV leaves wet I-10 overpass in Seguin, parents identified Rain-slicked IH-10 in Seguin turned deadly when a Chevrolet Tahoe left an overpass near FM 725, killing a Porter family of five, including three children. FM 725 was shut for hours as police investigate. 'F--- you': Father who killed 16-year-old school shooter cursed teen before deadly shot "I didn't want to hear what he had to say. He had taken lives," Kaylub Giamanco told CBS News. "I said, ‘F--- you.'" 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