Patients taking semaglutide may be at an increased risk for an eye condition that can cause vision loss, according to a study published in JAMA Ophthalmology.
The authors emphasized that more research is needed to confirm the link, according to a July 3 report from NBC News.
Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is a condition that affects the optic nerve, reducing blood flow to the nerve so it becomes reduced or blocked, leading to sudden vision loss.
The study looked at medical records spanning six years from more than 16,800 patients in the Boston area, none of whom were initially diagnosed with NAION. About 1,700 patients either had diabetes, were overweight or had obesity.
Researchers compared outcomes after 36 months in those patients who were prescribed semaglutide to those who were not. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Wegovy, which is approved by the FDA for weight loss, and Ozempic, which is approved to treat diabetes but has been prescribed off-label for weight loss.
Almost 200 of the diabetes patients were prescribed semaglutide and 17 went on to develop NAION, a rate more than four times higher than those not prescribed the drug.
For the obesity group, 361 people were prescribed semaglutide and 20 people developed the condition, a seven times higher rate.
People with Type 2 diabetes and obesity are already at an increased risk for vision problems, including NAION, according to the report.