Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus Are Semaglutide Drugs Linked to Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION)

(Posted by Tom Lamb at Drug Injury Watch)

Before we direct you to a new medical report about semaglutide-associated vision loss due to NAION, here are five points intended to provide some context:

1. Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus are drugs with semaglutide as their active ingredient.
2. Semaglutide has been linked to nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).
3. NAION is sometimes referred to as an “eye stroke,” and it occurs when there is a lack of sufficient blood flow to the optic nerve.
4. NAION typically causes sudden vision loss and, in severe cases, can lead to blindness.
5. There are currently no proven treatments for NAION.

With that background established, in May 2026, PLOS Medicine published online this article, “Semaglutide-associated risk of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies“.

As an introduction, from the “What did the researchers do and find?” part which accompanies this PLOS Medicine online article about semaglutide-associated vision loss due to NAION:

We performed the meta-analysis of longitudinal observational real-world studies reporting time-to-event outcomes (5 primary studies, 7 additional studies for sensitivity analysis) to determine whether semaglutide therapy is associated with an increased risk of NAION in patients with T2D. We also compared our data with other meta-analyses (2 for randomized controlled trials [RCT], 4 for observational studies), systematic reviews (9), consensus statements (2), and regulatory communications (4).

Semaglutide treatment significantly increased the hazard for NAION compared to other antidiabetic treatments, translating to 1 additional NAION case per 7000 patients treated for 1 year.

Our results were in line with other observational meta-analyses, while meta-analyses of RCTs consistently reported fewer NAION events.

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While you are encouraged to look at the full-text version of this May 2026 PLOS Medicine article, as a preview of its findings, from the Abstract for this recent medical journal article about semaglutide-associated vision loss due to NAION:

Conclusions
Our findings suggest a possible association between semaglutide use and an increased risk of NAION in patients with T2DM. Although the absolute risk is low, clinicians should be aware of this potential adverse event, particularly in individuals at increased baseline risk for optic neuropathies. While these findings support current recommendations to discontinue semaglutide in patients diagnosed with NAION, the certainty of the available evidence is low, underscoring the need for further high-quality studies to clarify this association.

The current drug labels for Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus do not warn about semaglutide-associated vision loss due to NAION as a possible side effect.

And because there are no warnings in the current drug labels, we are handling drug injury lawsuits for patients who used Ozempic, Wegovy, or Rybelsus and then developed vision loss due to NAION. Those drug injury lawsuits would be filed against Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company responsible for those three semaglutide-containing drugs.

We encourage you to submit an Ozempic / Wegovy / Rybelsus Vision Loss Case Evaluation Form online – it is free, confidential, and there is no obligation. Or, if you prefer, call 910-256-2971 to speak directly to attorney Tom Lamb about a possible Ozempic, Wegovy, or Rybelsus drug injury lawsuit

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