Ozempic-like fat jabs linked to horror side effect that causes sudden blindness, study reveals
JAB FEARS Ozempic-like fat jabs linked to horror side effect that causes sudden blindness, study reveals
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WEIGHT loss jabs could raise the risk of sudden blindness, a study warns.
Injections like Wegovy, Mounjaro and Ozempic are all the rage because of their rapid slimming effects – but they are not without side effects.
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Weight loss jabs' popularity has soared in the past three years (stock image)
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Users mostly report gut problems that tend to end after they stop taking the medicines.
But new research warns weight loss jabs might pose a permanent risk to patients' eyes.
A study of type 2 diabetes patients taking semaglutide – the ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy – found a link to non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.
The condition, known as NAOIN, causes sudden blindness.
Sufferers lose blood supply to the nerve behind the eye, breaking the connection between eye and brain and leaving the eye completely blind.
It typically happens quickly and painlessly to one eye and cannot be cured.
A study by the US National Institutes of Health analysed data from 3.8million type 2 diabetes patients over the age of 65.
It found semaglutide raised the risk by 15 per cent compared to other diabetes medications such as insulin or metformin.
Writing in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology, researchers said: 'Our findings demonstrate an association between semaglutide use and an increased risk of NAION.'
'Patient safety is top priority'
It adds to a previous study that suggested the medicine increased the risk as much as four to eight times above average.
Watch Ellen's weight loss journey on fat jabs
The authors of that study said: 'As with any drug, therapeutic benefits are inseparable from adverse effects.'
Novo Nordisk, which makes Wegovy and Ozempic, said: 'Patient safety is our top priority, and we take any reports about adverse events from the use of our medicines very seriously.
'In June 2025 we concluded that the data did not suggest a reasonable possibility of a causal relationship between semaglutide and NAION and that the benefit-risk profile of semaglutide remains favourable.
'Novo Nordisk will continue to collaborate with the MHRA to discuss any UK impact.
'We recommend that any patients experiencing side effects while taking our medicines report them to their healthcare provider.'
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