#Ozempic #GLP1 #Wegovy #EyeHealth #obesitymedicine
Can Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro make you blind? A viewer asked me this, and it deserves an honest, evidence-based answer. I'm Dr. Mohammed Paika, board-certified in internal medicine and obesity medicine, with more than 15 years as a hospitalist.
In this video I review every major study on GLP-1 medications and NAION, a rare "stroke" of the optic nerve:
The Mass Eye and Ear study that sparked the headlines
The larger studies from Denmark, Norway and the US
The randomized trials
I also cover what the European Medicines Agency, the UK's MHRA and the American Academy of Ophthalmology concluded, plus the separate issue of diabetic retinopathy. You'll learn the real risk in actual numbers, who is at higher risk, and a 5-step eye-safety plan, including the one warning sign that means you go to the ER the same day.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Can GLP-1s make you blind? A viewer's question
0:58 Who I am and why this matters
1:37 What is NAION? The "stroke" of the optic nerve
3:15 How the alarm started: the Mass Eye and Ear study
4:16 What the bigger studies found
6:13 GLP-1 Masterclass
6:51 What regulators and eye specialists concluded
8:44 Putting the risk in perspective
9:28 The other eye issue: diabetic retinopathy
10:41 Free GLP-1 Diet Cookbook
11:01 Who is at higher risk?
12:16 The 5-step eye-safety plan
14:10 What to watch next
📩 FREE GLP-1 Diet Cookbook + Weekly Newsletter
https://www.drmohammedpaika.com/newsletter
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Comprehensive education on GLP-1 medications, nutrition, exercise, muscle preservation, side effects & long-term success. Includes the companion eBook, quizzes, 12-week exercise program, certificate & future course updates at no additional cost.
https://www.drmohammedpaika.com
REFERENCES
StatPearls: Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559045/
Johnson LN, Arnold AC. Incidence of nonarteritic and arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. J Neuroophthalmol. 1994;14(1):38-44
Hathaway JT, Shah M, Hathaway DB, et al. Risk of NAION in patients prescribed semaglutide. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2024;142(8):732-739
Grauslund J, Abou Taha A, Molander LD, et al. Once-weekly semaglutide doubles the five-year risk of NAION in a Danish cohort of 424,152 persons with type 2 diabetes. Int J Retina Vitreous. 2024;
10:97Simonsen E, Lund LC, Ernst MT, et al. Use of semaglutide and risk of NAION: a Danish–Norwegian cohort study. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2025;27(6):3094-3103
Hsu AY, et al. Semaglutide and nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2025. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2025.0349
Wang L, Volkow ND, Kaelber DC, Xu R. Semaglutide or tirzepatide and optic nerve and visual pathway disorders in type 2 diabetes. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(8):e2526327
DeParis SW, et al. GLP-1 receptor agonists and the risk of NAION: a consensus statement by NANOS and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Ophthalmology. 2026;133(8)
NAION risk with semaglutide: what we know so far (includes Chou et al., 18,657 patients). Eye. 2025. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41433-025-03833-y
Liu Z, Raveendran D, Fourlanos S, et al. Rate and risk of NAION with semaglutide use for diabetes and weight loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ophthalmology. 2026;133:589-598
European Medicines Agency (PRAC). NAION a very rare side effect of semaglutide. June 2025. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/prac-concludes-eye-condition-naion-very-rare-side-effect-semaglutide-medicines-ozempic-rybelsus-wegovy
MHRA Drug Safety Update: Semaglutide and risk of NAION. Feb 5, 2026
Lincoff AM, et al. Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in obesity without diabetes (SELECT). N Engl J Med. 2023;389:2221-2232
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetes and vision loss
Marso SP, et al. Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes (SUSTAIN-6). N Engl J Med. 2016;375:1834-1844
Vilsbøll T, et al. Semaglutide, reduction in HbA1c and the risk of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2018;20(4):889-897
Leinung M, Patel N, Bettadahalli S, Paika MK, et al. Benefits of short-term professional continuous glucose monitoring in clinical practice. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2013
Campbell UB, et al. Acute NAION and exposure to phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. J Sex Med. 2015;12(1):139-151
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