The weight loss of many international celebrities of late has been attributed to the usage of drugs like Ozempic. However, just as always with such drugs, the result comes with a huge risk factor. A recent research recently said popular weight loss drugs have been linked to an uncommon eye-blinding condition that's been reported, of late.
Patients with diabetes or obesity are commonly prescribed weight loss drugs, such as Ozempic or Wegovy, containing the protein semaglutide, which helps manage blood sugar by promoting the production of insulin. Loss of vision in one eye A team of researchers, led by those from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital, US, found that patients with obesity who were prescribed these weight loss drugs were over seven times more likely to be diagnosed with NAION, or 'Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy', causing sudden vision loss in one eye. They also found that patients with diabetes who were taking these semaglutide-containing drugs were over four times more likely to get an NAION diagnosis.
The findings are published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Ophthalmology. "This information we did not have before and it should be included in discussions between patients and their doctors, especially if patients have other known optic nerve problems like glaucoma or if there is pre-existing significant visual loss from other causes," lead author Joseph Rizzo, director of the Neuro-Ophthalmology Service at Massachuset.