--- title: "Experts Not Convinced That Ozempic Is Causing Blindness" description: "After an alarming new study came out suggesting a link between Ozempic and a condition that causes blindness, some experts are calling foul." date: "2024-07-10" modified: "2024-07-10" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/experts-criticize-ozempic-blindness-study" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "RX and Medicine" tags: - "blindness" - "ozempic" - "semaglutide" - "side effects" --- # Experts Not Convinced That Ozempic Is Causing Blindness ![After an alarming new study came out suggesting a link between Ozempic and a condition that causes blindness, some experts are calling foul.]() *\Image: Steve Christo / Corbis via Getty / Futurism\* After an [alarming new study]() came out suggesting a link between semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, and a condition that can cause blindness, some experts are calling foul. Published in the [journal *JAMA Opthalmology*](), the new analysis out of Harvard linked semaglutide to non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a neurological disorder that blocks blood flow to optic nerves and can ultimately result in blindness. In the analysis, which was drawn from records on more than 16,000 patients at Harvard's Mass Eye and Ear Hospital, researchers found that people prescribed semaglutide appeared to be between four and seven times more likely to develop NAION than those who took other drugs. While those figures are indeed pretty jarring, medical experts — and, strikingly, financial analysts intrigued by the drug's market implications — are urging caution before reading too much into the study. Andrew Lee, a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a neuro-ophthalmologist at the Houston Medical Center, [told *NBC Los Angeles*]() that although he has patients who developed NAION and were prescribed semaglutide, it remains unclear whether "this is a causal association or merely an association alone." That's because, as that article notes, people with Type 2 diabetes — which is [nominally required for an Ozempic prescription]() — are at increased risk for vision problems, [including NAION](). Other [risk factors for the disorder]() include [sleep apnea]() and [hypertension](), which are also well-known comorbidities for both diabetes and [being]() [overweight](). Lee said that semaglutide could plausibly be causing NAOIN, but until further study is done, it's "premature to conclude" that there's a causal relationship between the two — a statement echoed by the Harvard researchers behind the study, who urged further investigation into the link. As always, investors are also concerned about the way such negative press might affect the earning power of these game-changing medications. Indeed, the stock for Novo Nordisk, the Danish drugmaker behind Ozempic and Wegovy, [plummeted after the study first dropped]() last week. And [as *Fierce Pharma* reports](), money men at the Leerink Partners investment firm are urging clients not to read too much into the tea leaves. "Larger retrospective studies, post-marketing analyses of \[glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists\], and/or prospective clinical trials would be required to confirm the findings," the firm's note read. At the end of the day, those critics are right regardless of where they're coming from. One thing's for sure, though: the millions of patients taking semaglutide deserve urgent follow-up research into any possible health risks associated with the drug. **More on Ozempic:** [*Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders Demands Drug Companies Cut Price of Ozempic and Other New Weight Loss Drugs*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()