Weight loss drugs linked to rare eye condition causing sudden vision loss

Weight loss drugs linked to rare eye condition causing sudden vision loss

Ashiq Butt | July 7, 2024 | 04:58 PM IST | Delhi, Health, India | Follow on Google News

Weight loss drugs linked to rare eye condition causing sudden vision loss

Weight loss drugs linked to rare eye condition causing sudden vision loss

New Delhi, Jul 7: Popular weight loss drugs have been linked to an uncommon eye-blinding condition, according to a new study.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.

A team of researchers, led by those from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear hospital in the 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’, which causes 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 receive a NAION diagnosis. The findings are published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Ophthalmology.

Significant Risk Increase

“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,” said lead author Joseph Rizzo, director of the Neuro-Ophthalmology Service at Massachusetts Eye and Ear.

Rizzo stressed that the increased risk relates to a relatively uncommon disorder and that further studies are needed, as the researchers do not know why or how the link between taking weight loss drugs and the eye condition exists. The findings should, therefore, “be viewed as being significant but tentative,” Rizzo said.

NAION is relatively rare, affecting 2-10 people per 100,000 population, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The condition is thought to be caused by reduced blood flow to the optic nerve head, leading to permanent loss of vision in one eye.

In their analysis, the researchers included data from records of more than 17,000 patients at the hospital diagnosed with either diabetes or obesity, who were prescribed semaglutide-containing or other weight loss drugs.

Future Patient-Physician Discussions

“The use of these drugs has exploded throughout industrialised countries and they have provided very significant benefits in many ways, but future discussions between a patient and their physician should include NAION as a potential risk,” Rizzo said.

As the popularity of these weight loss drugs continues to grow, it is crucial for healthcare providers to be aware of this potential risk and to inform their patients accordingly.

This study highlights the importance of ongoing research to fully understand the implications of these medications and to ensure patient safety.

Ashiq Butt

Ashiq Butt – is VoM News's senior staffer worked since year 2015 and he deals with correspondency and social media handles. Hailing from Doda's Marmat, Ashiq has strong grip over the collection of the data and it's compiling feature.