A new study has found a significant association between the use of GLP-1s such as Ozempic and Wegovy with a higher risk of developing a serious eye condition in patients with diabetes.
Here are four takeaways:
- In a population-based cohort study published in JAMA Ophthalmology, of 139,002 patients, those who used GLP-1s for six months or longer had a more than twofold increased risk of developing neovascular age-related macular degeneration compared to non-users.
- Among the group who used GLP-1s, 0.2% developed nAMD versus 0.1% in the group who didn’t take GLP-1s. The study followed patients 66 and older with diabetes from January 2020 to November 2023 using comprehensive health data from Ontario, Canada’s public healthcare system.
- In a joint statement issued July 9, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society stated they had “been aware of other vision changes for some time” in patients using semaglutide. They noted that semaglutide may exacerbate diabetic retinopathy, causing macular complications and leading to blurry vision.
- A separate study conducted by Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham and Boston-based Harvard Medical School found that semaglutide users had significantly higher rates of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, a condition that restricts blood to the optic nerve and can cause sudden vision loss. Among diabetic patients, the rate of this was four times higher in those taking semaglutide.
