Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro have become global sensation. However, various studies have come out warning consumers of the potential side-effects of the weight loss drugs.
A new study has revealed that semaglutide, the active ingredient in the popular weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, may be linked to a type of sudden vision loss called non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). The small study was published in JAMA Ophthalmology journal recently.
According to the study, nine cases of US patients who experienced vision issues after using semaglutide (Ozempic) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro). A woman reported losing sight in her left eye just a day after receiving her first semaglutide injection for diabetes, Daily Mail reported. Although she paused the medication for two months, she had to resume it due to her health condition. Within two weeks of restarting, she experienced vision loss in her right eye as well.
Another patient, who had been taking semaglutide for a year, woke up one morning with a “painless shadow” covering her left eye. Medical examinations revealed extensive damage to the retinal blood vessels, causing blindness, the study reported. In another case, a man who had been on tirzepatide for a year developed bleeding in his left eye. However, due to a lack of definitive evidence linking the drug to blindness, doctors advised him to continue taking the medication.
Last year, the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommended that patients experiencing vision problems while taking semaglutide stop using the drug and consult a physician. However, the body did not suggest discontinuing these medications altogether. Danish health officials are also investigating possible links between semaglutide and vision loss.
Weight loss drugs are also associated with several unexpected side effects like thyroid tumors, gastric paralysis, suicidal thoughts, sexual dysfunction, and hair loss.