The case for GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic possibly causing blindness is building . A novel paper out this week describes several people who developed eye conditions soon after they began taking semaglutide and similar medications .
center doctors at the University of Utah Health and elsewhere published the research , which depict several pillow slip of vision knottiness possibly tied to these fleshiness and diabetes drugs . The medicinal drug were yoke to three dissimilar heart conditions , all of which can lead to blindness . But as the Dr. caution , the cases alone do not leaven that GLP-1 drug can cause these issues , and more research is needed to understand exactly what ’s going on .
Other research has lately suggested a connectedness between GLP-1 drug like semaglutide ( the fighting ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy ) and tirzepatide ( Mounjaro and Zepbound ) and a mellow risk of certain eye problems .
An Ozempic injection pen.© Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty
Last summer , for example , researchers at a specialty eye hospitalpublisheda study obtain that patients prescribed semaglutide were perceptibly more likely to develop nonarteritic prior ischemic ocular neuropathy ( NAION ) , a rare condition due to a loss of blood flow to the opthalmic nerve . This past December , wellness officials in Denmarkcalledfor the European Union to formally look into the potential liaison between GLP-1 use and NAION , following two other survey of Danish residents that found similar results .
This latest newspaper , publishedlast calendar month inJAMA Ophthalmology , presents a serial publication of nine cases . Seven of the subject include people who experienced NAION after come out a GLP-1 drug ; one somebody develop papillitis , a eccentric of inflaming of the optic nerve ; and another spring up paracentral acute middle maculopathy , a type of blood vas damage in the macule , the central field of the retina that allows for sharp visual sense . In many cases , people ’s vision departure solve or stopped worsening after they stopped using the medication , though a few keep their therapy with no lasting issues .
The researchers are warm to note these single cases are n’t a smoking gas for proving that GLP-1 drugs are induce these eye problems .
“ In this shell serial study , it was not possible to decide if there is a causal link between these drug and the ophthalmic complications report , ” they wrote . And if such a causal link does live , it may also be more complicated than it appears at first glance .
All but one person involved someone with a history of eccentric 2 diabetes , a condition characterized by consistently elevated in high spirits blood sugar . The researchers note that some cases of papillitis have been tied to a speedy cliff in people ’s blood sugar , and they excogitate the same could be genuine for some event of NAION . In other news , GLP-1 drug might be causing at least some of these example indirectly , by chop-chop lower blood sugar , rather than through any direct toxic effect of the medicament itself . But there may be other triggers to turn over . Some cells in the optic nerve transmit GLP-1 receptors , for instance , providing another way for these drug to harm oculus function .
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Either way , the investigator say that more work is needed to examine this likely link . Though NAION is rarefied , even a pocket-size increase in risk of it could still affect many people , given how popular these drugs are becoming worldwide . And unraveling the mechanisms behind this connexion could lead to better deal . If these conditions are have by a rapid drop in blood glucose , as the investigator trust , then we could prevent future lawsuit by simply recommending a slower form of GLP-1 treatment in eminent - risk patients ( GLP-1 therapy is typically generate in step up doses over time ) . The physician also trust their findings will promote awareness of the potential connection among their confrere .
“ Further study are needed to essay our guess . However , this is an crucial offspring for eye doctor as we monitor usage of these drugs and how to best be in communication with our patient about them , ” aver Bradley Katz , a neuro - ophthalmologist at the University of Utah ’s John A. Moran Eye Center , in a financial statement from the university .
eye healthGLP-1Ozempic
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