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The Food and Drug Administration has warned that those who take popular weight loss drugs are at low risk of developing a side effect that could lead to permanent vision loss.
The agency has asked all manufacturers of GLP-1 drugs to put new warning labels on their products, which treat obesity, diabetes and several other medical conditions. The FDA advisory applies to a dozen injectable and pill-based medications, including Ozempic and Wegovy.
The eye disease, a nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, can cause significant vision loss. This condition, which has been reported in patients taking all GLP-1 medications, occurs when blood flow to the optic nerve is reduced, although its underlying cause remains unclear, according to the FDA.
FDA scientists began investigating in 2024 after a study found that some patients taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic, suffered from this type of vision loss. The FDA reviewed 126 clinical trials involving 134,253 patients.
A package of Ozempic held by a customs officer in Hamburg, Germany, April 17, 2025. (Marcus Brandt/photo alliance via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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The meta-analysis found that about six cases of eye disease occurred per 100,000 patients taking GLP-1 drugs over a one-year period, compared with fewer than four cases in patients receiving placebo or other glucose-lowering drugs.
Patients taking GLP-1 drugs had about a 68% higher rate of developing eye disease, although the FDA cautioned that the findings do not establish causation.
Risk factors for this condition include diabetes, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea, which are also common among patients prescribed GLP-1 medications.
The FDA recognized that this overlap made it difficult to determine whether the drugs themselves were responsible for the increased incidence of vision loss.
Wegovy injection pens laid out in Waterbury, Vermont on Monday, April 28, 2025. (Shelby Knowles/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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Of the approximately 78,000 patients included in the studies reviewed by the FDA, only 10 experienced vision loss, representing about 0.01% of participants.
Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is a rare disease that can lead to permanent vision loss, with no proven treatment to reverse the damage.
A woman injects a syringe of weight loss medication into her stomach. (David Petrus Ibars/Getty Images/Getty Images)
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This condition is most common in adults over the age of 50, who often experience sudden, painless vision loss in one eye upon waking. Symptoms include blurred vision, distorted color perception and blind spots.
However, research has shown that approximately 43% of patients with significant visual impairment experience spontaneous improvement, although visual field defects often persist.
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