Study links weight loss drug to rare eye condition
Influencers have also helped spread the gospel of Ozempic and Wegovy as a solution for weight loss.
What you need to know:
- The study's analysis was done in over 17, 000 patients who have been treated since ozempic.
- Influencers have helped spread the gospel of Ozempic and Wegovy as a solution for weight loss.
Imagine treating an illness, only to get another in the process. A new study shows that a weight loss drug –which is primarily meant for treating diabetes, is associated with the likelihood of getting a rare eye condition that can make one visually impaired.
The condition called non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) affects about 10 in every 100 000 people and is classified as a rare condition and among the leading causes of blindness.
This condition causes an abrupt loss of vision mostly in people who are 50 years old and above.
Ophthalmologists from Manchester Eye Royal Hospitals explain that the condition occurs when there is a blockage in the blood vessels (specifically the arteries) which supply blood to the optic nerves.
“The optic nerves leave the back of the eye to carry information from our eyes to our brain. The loss of blood supply deprives the optic nerve of oxygen and damages all or part of the nerve,” they explain.
The drug, scientifically known as semaglutide, is given as an injection and currently goes by the brand name Ozempic and Wegovy.
The study's analysis, published in the scientific journal JAMA Ophthalmology, was done in over 17, 000 patients who have been treated since ozempic was released and approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2017.
The scientists show that patients who have diabetes and had been prescribed semaglutide by their doctor were four times more likely to be diagnosed with the rare eye condition.
And for people who were either overweight or were clinically diagnosed with obesity, then they were seven times more likely to be diagnosed with the condition.
The JAMA study findings caution that while there is a potential risk of getting the rare eye condition after getting the drugs’ prescription and using it, there is a need for another study to assess if it actually causes the condition.
Dr Joseph Rizzo, the study’s lead author, said in a press statement that the study should be ‘viewed as significant but tentative,’ explaining that deeper analysis is needed in a large and diverse population.
"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," he said.
“It is important to appreciate, however, that the increased risk relates to a relatively uncommon disorder. 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,” he adds.
Even though Ozempic has been on the market for less than a decade, it has proliferated the internet and was mostly touted as a weight loss drug. It was mostly advertised on different social media platforms, including X (Twitter) and TikTok.
In April, the social media company enforced sterner rules on weight loss content, especially those that mentioned Ozempic. The new guidelines took effect on May 17.
On July 9 this year, two TikTok users (Behind the Headlines) who share journalistic content posted that their account was banned for just mentioning Ozempic.
Influencers have also helped spread the gospel of Ozempic and Wegovy as a solution for weight loss.
In October 2022, a twitter user asked Elon Musk his secret for weight loss. He replied by mentioning fasting and Wegovy (which is still Ozempic).
Despite the drug being watered down as a weight loss option, it has some benefits, especially for patients with type 2 diabetes and are at risk of developing heart failure.
A study published by the New England Journal of Medicine shows that patients who were given the drug were less likely to have heart failure-related symptoms and other physical limitations, and the walking distance was also increased by six minutes.
Another study from the same publication showed that the same drug reduced the risk of a patient living with diabetes from getting chronic kidney disease.
The scientists who published the new study in JAMA Ophthalmology that associated this drug with a rare eye condition acknowledge that their investigation had some limitations.
“Our study could not assess whether all patients actually took the drugs as prescribed; non-adherence is a common phenomenon…and this may have led to an inaccurate estimation of a semaglutide-associated risk,” explain the scientists.
“We did, however, confirm that prescribed doses of semaglutide were dispensed for all patients with NAION,” they add.
