Ozempic, responsible for damage to the optic nerve of the eye?

Prescribed against type 2 diabetes, semaglutide, known under the name Ozempic, has continued to be talked about in recent months, because its use has been diverted for weight loss. Recently, researchers at the University of Southern Denmark showed an association between the use of semaglutide and the risk of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), which causes damage to the optic nerve of the eye and leads to severe and permanent loss of vision. To reach this conclusion, they carried out two studies based on Danish registers.

Damage to the optic nerve of the eye: the risk is doubled with Ozempic

As part of the first research, published in the journal International Journal of Retina and Vitreous424,152 people with type 2 diabetes were recruited and followed for five years. In total, 106,454 of the adults took semaglutide once a week and 317,698 had not been exposed to it. “At baseline, hemoglobin A1c was 50 mmol/mol,” can we read in the works. According to the results, 218 patients developed non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. Taking semaglutide was linked to a twofold higher incidence rate and independently predicted a higher risk of future damage to the eye’s optic nerve, even when several other factors were taken into account. “Overall, 67 participants exposed to semaglutide developed NAION, with a median time of 22.2 months from first prescription to event.”

For the second study, published the site MedRxivthe scientists, using prescription registers and civil registration systems, identified 44,517 users of Ozempic for the management of type 2 diabetes in Denmark and 16,860 in Norway. According to the authors, 32 cases of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, including 24 in Denmark and 8 in Norway, were recorded in patients taking semaglutide. “This gave an unadjusted incidence rate of 2.19/10,000 person-years among Danish users. The incidence rates in Norway were 2.90. (…) The estimates were consistent across countries, although they are higher and less precise in Norway than in Denmark.”

“The absolute risk is very low”

“It is extremely important to treat type 2 diabetes, but it is worth considering whether the slightly increased risk of serious vision loss from using Ozempic means you should instead use one of the other new drugs that protect against kidney and cardiovascular diseases”, said Kurt Højlund, who participated in the research. “We hope that our results can be used by doctors and patients to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of semaglutide treatment”added Jakob Grauslund, co-author of the studies. For now, “Treatment with Ozempic should be stopped if non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is detected in an eye. However, the vast majority of patients can be confident, as the absolute risk is very low.”