CHARLOTTE — Several GLP-1 users have filed a lawsuit against drug manufacturers over a potential link to vision loss, alleging companies failed to warn patients of the rare, yet serious side effect.
Medical professionals refer to the condition as “Ozempic blindness.” Its clinical name is NAION, basically an eye stroke.
While Australia and Canada joined Europe in demanding mandated warning labels on GLP-1 drugs, no such warning has been issued to consumers in the United States.
Ed Gillen used a GLP-1 injection for nearly a year for his A1C. The father of four, worked for 39 years as a state highway employee and a beloved softball coach.
He said his eye condition started with what he thought was a floater, but he lost his sight after just a few medical visits. He now relies on a walking stick to get around.
“I was very good at my job, and now I got to learn this, a new job of being blind,” Gillen said.
Gillen and other plaintiffs allege in their lawsuit that the pharmaceutical company failed to provide clear information about the side effect.
In a statement to our sister station WSB-TV in Atlanta, manufacturer Novo Nordisk said its internal research did not identify an increased risk.