A new study suggests that Wegovy, the popular weight loss drug, may carry a higher risk of a rare eye condition that can lead to sudden vision loss compared with other semaglutide medications.
The condition, called ischemic optic neuropathy (ION), occurs when blood flow to the optic nerve is reduced or blocked. This can cause sudden partial or complete blindness in one or both eyes.
Researchers reported that Wegovy showed the strongest association with ION among semaglutide based GLP-1 drugs analyzed in the study, which was published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. The findings also suggested the risk signal was nearly five times stronger for Wegovy than for Ozempic.
Although the condition appears to be rare, the researchers say the findings raise important safety questions as the use of GLP-1 medications continues to expand worldwide.
FDA Safety Reports Analyzed
