Doctors told him his vision loss was nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), linked to the Ozempic he\u2019d been on for about a year to treat his diabetes.<\/p>\n
![\"Edward](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/father-four-suing-drug-maker-143153297.jpg\")
Edward Gillen, 59, is suing the drug maker of Ozempic alleging the medication caused him to go permanently blind. Boston 25 News \/ YouTube<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t accept it. You don\u2019t believe it. You\u2019re just, \u2018What the heck is going on?\u2019\u201d Gillen said. He\u2019s trying to relearn all aspects of daily life as a blind person. \u201cCooking, plating food, eating food, trying to sit at the table. You can\u2019t go outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, he\u2019s joining more than 200 other lawsuits<\/a> against GLP-1 makers, alleging the drug caused NAION, a sudden and irreversible vision loss.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew there were some [side effects]. Because you hear it on the commercials, you hear an advertiser, your doctor tells you them,\u201d Gillen told Boston 25 News<\/a>. \u201cBut not this. Not this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Do GLP-1s cause NAION?<\/p>\n Like Gillen, people with NAION usually notice they\u2019re losing vision after waking up. It\u2019s painless and sudden, and more commonly only affects one eye.<\/p>\n Experts compare<\/a> the condition to a \u201cstroke\u201d where blood flow to the optic nerve is blocked, starving and killing the fibers of the nerve. It\u2019s still a rare condition that scientists don\u2019t fully understand. <\/p>\n This kind of damage to the nerve is generally irreversible. There is no treatment available.<\/p>\n We are just learning about GLP-1\u2019s potential connection to this condition. A 2024 study <\/a>found that taking semaglutide, sold as Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, was associated with an increased risk of NAION. A July study<\/a> confirmed this association, though authors emphasized risk is low.<\/p>\n In May, the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society and the American Academy of Ophthalmology concluded \u201cthe overall magnitude of the risk of NAION remains low.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhile many report a small possible increased risk of NAION in patients taking GLP-1 RAs such as semaglutide, some studies report no correlation,\u201d they wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n Part of the difficulty with teasing out whether GLP-1s are to blame is that the people taking the meds are often at a much higher risk<\/a> of NAION before taking the drug. Risk factors for NAION include diabetes, obesity, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, heart disease and sleep apnea. <\/p>\n Hundreds plaintiffs sue over vision loss<\/p>\n![\"Edward](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/father-four-suing-drug-maker-143153298.jpg\")
Gillen says doctors connected his sudden vision loss to his GLP-1 medication, Ozempic. Boston 25 News \/ YouTube<\/p>\n