Study finds prescription weight loss drugs linked to uncommon blinding condition

A new study led by investigators from Mass Eye and Ear found that patients prescribed semaglutide, as Ozempic or Wegovy, for diabetes or weight loss had a higher risk of having a potentially blinding eye condition called NAION than similar patients who had not been prescribed these drugs, according a EurekAlert recap of the peer-reviewed publication. The study, which was led by Joseph Rizzo, MD, director of the Neuro-Ophthalmology Service at Mass Eye and Ear and the Simmons Lessell Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, was published July 3 in JAMA Ophthalmology. “There are several limitations to the study,” says the recap, which adds: “Importantly, the study does not prove causality, and the researchers don’t know why or how this association exists, and why there was a difference reported in diabetic and overweight groups.” Novo Nordisk (NVO) markets Ozempic and Wegovy while Eli Lilly (LLY) markets the competing Mounjaro and Zepbound.