The patients behind the lawsuits allege that the medications caused NAION (nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy), according to The Wall Street Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n NAION is a rare eye condition in which blood flow to the optic nerve is suddenly reduced, leading to sudden vision loss.<\/p>\n POPULAR GLP-1 WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS LINKED TO POTENTIALLY DEADLY BRAIN DISORDER<\/a><\/p>\n It is the most common cause of acute optic nerve injury in adults over age 50<\/a>, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the National Eye Institute, which describes it as an “eye stroke.”<\/p>\n “The problem with NAION is there’s no treatment,” Dr. Douglas Lazzaro, an ophthalmologist at NYU Langone Health, told Fox News Digital. “So it can cause some very profound vision loss.”<\/p>\n Hundreds of consumers are suing the manufacturers of GLP-1 receptor agonists, alleging the medications may increase the risk of a rare form of vision loss. (iStock)<\/p>\n The companies in question, Novo Nordisk (maker of Ozempic and Wegovy) and Eli Lilly (maker of Mounjaro and Zepbound), have disputed the allegations, according to the WSJ report.<\/p>\n POPULAR ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION DRUG LINKED TO EYE DISEASE THAT CAN CAUSE IRREVERSIBLE VISION LOSS<\/a><\/p>\n Novo Nordisk called the lawsuits meritless and pointed to company-funded research finding no increased risk of NAION with its drugs. Eli Lilly said it continues to monitor safety data and maintained that current studies do not prove GLP-1 medications cause the condition.<\/p>\n Fox News Digital reached out to the companies requesting comment.<\/p>\n What the research suggests<\/p>\n Most of the published research to date has examined semaglutide, rather than tirzepatide.<\/p>\n In a data analysis of 37 million adults published in JAMA Ophthalmology in 2025, researchers found that people using semaglutide experienced a modest increase in NAION risk<\/a> compared to people taking SGLT2 inhibitors, another class of diabetes medication.<\/p>\n DOCTORS REVEAL HIDDEN DANGER FOR SOME OZEMPIC, WEGOVY USERS WITH BRAIN DISORDERS<\/a><\/p>\n A 2024 Harvard Medical School study, published in the same journal, found that patients with type 2 diabetes<\/a> who were prescribed semaglutide had approximately a fourfold higher relative risk of developing NAION. The absolute risk remained very low.<\/p>\n The authors of both studies noted that the research was observational and could not prove that the medication caused NAION. They emphasized that more evidence is needed.<\/p>\n The patients behind the lawsuits allege that the medications caused NAION (nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy). (iStock)<\/p>\n The FDA has said it is reviewing available evidence regarding a possible association between semaglutide and NAION<\/a>. The agency has not concluded that semaglutide causes NAION and has not issued a safety warning for semaglutide medications.<\/p>\n The European Medicines Agency concluded there is sufficient evidence of a possible association to recommend adding NAION as a “very rare” adverse reaction to semaglutide product information in Europe.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n Lazzaro agreed that “whether or not that’s statistically significant is hard to assess, because there were so many variables in this and it’s hard to exactly match patients.”<\/p>\n “But when they removed all of what they felt were confounding variables\u2026 how obese were the patients, male versus female, age, hypertension, level of obesity<\/a>\u2026 they did find that there was a higher risk of NAION.”<\/p>\n What to know about NAION<\/p>\n NAION typically causes sudden, painless vision loss in one eye, per the AAO. Other symptoms may include blurred or dim vision, loss of peripheral vision or decreased color vision.<\/p>\n Symptoms tend to develop first thing in the morning after waking up.<\/p>\n As many people taking GLP-1 drugs have diabetes or obesity, some of these underlying risk factors could be factors in vision issues, experts note. (iStock)<\/p>\n The biggest risk factors for the condition include age, diabetes, high blood pressure<\/a>, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnea and smoking. As many people taking GLP-1 drugs have diabetes or obesity, some of these underlying risk factors could be factors in vision issues, experts note.<\/p>\n Diabetes itself is a well-established risk factor for NAION, making it difficult for observational studies to separate the effects of the disease from those of the medication, experts have noted.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES<\/a><\/p>\n Vision loss from NAION is often permanent. While some patients may regain partial vision over time, there is no proven treatment that can reverse the optic nerve damage.<\/p>\n The condition is rare, with roughly two to 10 cases per 100,000 people each year, depending on the population studied.<\/p>\n Experts emphasize that patients should not stop taking a prescribed GLP-1 medication without first speaking with their healthcare provider. (iStock)<\/p>\n Experts emphasize that patients should not stop taking a prescribed GLP-1 medication<\/a> without first speaking with their healthcare provider. For many people with diabetes or obesity, the medications’ proven benefits may outweigh any potential vision risk.<\/p>\n TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/a><\/p>\n When discussing NAION, one important factor is what doctors call a “disc at risk,” referring to certain characteristics of the optic disc, or optic nerve.<\/p>\n “So if I had a patient who had what I would see on exam is a disk at risk, a very compact optic nerve where everything’s crowded, I would tell that patient probably to not go on a semaglutide,” Lazzaro advised.<\/p>\n![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/close-up-eye.jpg\")
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