Share on PinterestA new research finds individuals utilizing GLP-1 drug semaglutide might have elevated threat of a uncommon blinding illness. Getty Photographs/Westend61Semaglutide, the energetic ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, is related to a uncommon blinding illness, in response to new analysis.The situation, often called non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), causes sudden blindness attributable to an absence of blood circulation to the optic nerve.Regardless of the findings, the research doesn’t exhibit a causal hyperlink between the drug and NAION.Semaglutide, the blockbuster drug utilized in Ozempic and Wegovy, has been linked to a uncommon blinding illness.Sufferers with kind 2 diabetes and weight problems who take semaglutide look like at better threat of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) in comparison with these prescribed a non GLP-1 drug. NAION is a situation that causes sudden blindness, usually in a single eye, attributable to an absence of blood circulation to the optic nerve. There isn’t any identified remedy for the situation.The findings, offered within the journal JAMA Ophthalmology, are compelling, however specialists warning that they’re preliminary and observational. The findings don’t exhibit a causal hyperlink between the drug and NAION. Nonetheless, with the large recognition of semaglutide, it will be important for each docs and sufferers to pay attention to the potential threat.“I’m going to start out mentioning this as a warning to a affected person, however I’m not going to say that since you’re overweight and you’ve got diabetes and also you’re taking this remedy, that you just’re going to go blind,” Yin Allison Liu, MD, PhD, an Affiliate Professor of Neuro-Ophthalmology at College of California Davis, advised Healthline. She wasn’t affiliated with the research.NAION is an elusive situation with little identified about its actual trigger.“Ischemic optic neuropathy is quite common in older diabetic sufferers which have vasculopathic threat components, though its pathogenesis is totally not understood,” Nicholas J. Volpe, MD, a neuro-ophthalmologist and Chairman of the Division of Ophthalmology at Northwestern College’s Feinberg College of Medication, advised Healthline. Volpe wasn’t concerned within the analysis.Researchers at Massachusetts Common Brigham utilized affected person information to search for any retrospective correlation between semaglutide and NAION over one yr. They investigated two cohorts, every representing one of many FDA-approved indications for semaglutide: weight problems and kind 2 diabetes. In complete the information of practically 17,000 sufferers had been included within the research. Of these sufferers, 710 had kind 2 diabetes and 979 had been obese or overweight.Amongst sufferers with kind 2 diabetes, the common age was 59 years previous and greater than half had been feminine. The age of sufferers within the obese or overweight group skewed youthful, a median of 47 years previous, and was 72% feminine.The research authors requested a easy query: had been sufferers on this group roughly prone to develop NAION in the event that they had been prescribed semaglutide or a non-GLP-1 remedy?They discovered a transparent sign.Sufferers with kind 2 diabetes had been greater than 4 occasions as prone to have a prognosis NAION; sufferers with weight problems had been greater than eight occasions as possible. Over the one-year interval, there have been 17 incidences (8.9%) of NAION amongst these taking semaglutide within the diabetes cohort, however solely six (1.8%) amongst these taking a non-GLP-1 drug. The outcomes had been much more pronounced amongst obese and overweight sufferers: 20 NAION occasions (6.7%) occurred in these taking semaglutide, in comparison with simply 3 (0.8%) for individuals who didn’t. Whether or not these occasions had been linked to semaglutide or had been confounded by the upper dangers related to weight problems and type-2 diabetes shouldn’t be clear. Volpe reiterated to Healthline that though the findings exhibit an affiliation, way more analysis is required.“It doesn’t set up causality. It doesn’t set up hazard. It doesn’t do something apart from name consideration to this and the potential want for us to consider this and research it extra rigorously,” he stated.Sufferers and healthcare suppliers ought to focus on the dangers and advantages of any remedy within the context of a person’s private circumstances and medical historical past.“If I had been a affected person that wished to take one of these remedy, I might not hesitate primarily based on this research, pondering that I’m going to go blind,” stated Volpi.NAION (nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy)is a uncommon blinding illness that causes sudden blindness in a single eye, usually after waking. It’s attributable to an absence of blood circulation (ischemia) to the optic nerve, which connects the attention to the mind. The situation is uncommon, solely occurring in 2-10 per 100,000 individuals. It’s the second most typical reason for blindness attributable to optic nerve injury behind glaucoma.The trigger or pathogenesis of NAION continues to be not nicely understood, though it’s usually believed to be related to vasculopathic threat components together with diabetes, hypertension, and excessive ldl cholesterol.“Regardless of realizing about this illness for 75 years, it was first described or acknowledged within the Fifties, we as neuro-ophthalmologists have by no means firmly established that solely individuals with hypertension get this dysfunction or solely individuals with diabetes,” stated Volpe.Essentially the most vital threat issue for NAION is an anatomical situation often called “disc-at-risk” or cupless optic nerve: when the construction of the attention itself causes crowding of the optic nerve fibers.“With this situation, the blood circulation or oxygen supply into the eyes may be comparatively in danger when we now have different confounding components,” stated Liu.Extra controversial proof has steered that different widespread medicines, together with antihypertensives (particularly, these taken earlier than bedtime) and erectile dysfunction medicine often called PDE5 Inhibitors may be related to NAION.Whereas a severe complication, NAION is a uncommon situation and little is thought in regards to the causes. “We learn about as a lot in regards to the pathogenesis of this situation right now as we did 31 years in the past after I did my neuro-ophthalmology fellowship,” stated Volpi.In an observational retrospective research, researchers discovered that sufferers with kind 2 diabetes or weight problems who had been taking semaglutide had been extra prone to develop a uncommon blinding situation than these taking a non-GLP-1 drug.The situation, often called non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), causes sudden blindness in a single eye, usually upon waking within the morning.Consultants advised Healthline that the findings are nonetheless early and don’t exhibit causality. Sufferers ought to seek the advice of with their healthcare supplier in regards to the dangers and advantages of prescribed medicines.