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Analysis and Health

Ozempic is increasingly being linked to vision loss. What’s the truth?

Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy could raise the risk of a rare form of vision loss, but we are still trying to unpick why

By Grace Wade

7 March 2025

Like all medicines, Ozempic is not without side effects

myskin/Shutterstock

Ozempic, Wegovy and similar drugs are, without a doubt, revolutionising medicine. They have transformed our ability to manage obesity and type 2 diabetes, but have actually shown potential for a wide range of conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, addiction and depression.

Yet, as our understanding of the benefits of these drugs grows, so too does our knowledge about their potential side effects, one of which appears to be a rare type of vision loss called non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).

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