Small link found between GLP-1 diabetes drugs and rare eye disorder with potential for vision loss

Rutgers University researchers have identified a modest association between GLP-1 receptor agonists, commonly used for diabetes and obesity, and a rare eye condition that can cause sudden vision loss, prompting further investigation into these widely prescribed medications.

Rutgers University researchers have found a small association between GLP-1 medicines used for type 2 diabetes and obesity and a rare eye disorder that can cause sudden vision loss.

In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the team examined U.S. adults aged 18 to 65 who were starting diabetes treatment. The analysis focused on GLP-1 receptor agonists, including semaglutide, sold as Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound. The researchers compared those drugs with other common diabetes treatments in a large claims database and found a modest increase in cases of ischaemic optic neuropathy, a condition caused by reduced blood flow to the optic nerve.

Chintan Dave, the study’s lead author, said the findings amounted to roughly three to four additional cases for every 10,000 people treated with GLP-1 medicines over 18 months. He said the risk was still low, but worth attention because the condition can involve abrupt vision loss.

The study also found that most cases occurred in men or in people aged 50 to 65, suggesting that baseline risk is higher in those groups. Rutgers said the work adds to a growing body of research on potential eye-related side-effects linked to GLP-1 drugs, which have become widely used as treatments for diabetes and weight loss.

A related report from Drugs.com said the research compared GLP-1 receptor agonists with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, both of which are also used to treat type 2 diabetes. PubMed listings for the paper describe the analysis as a target trial emulation, an observational method designed to approximate the structure of a clinical trial using real-world data. Another PubMed entry points to a separate nationwide cohort study that similarly found a modest association between GLP-1 receptor agonist use and anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy, reinforcing the need for further study.