As public interest in new drugs increases diabetes and slimmingsuch as Semaglutide and Tirzepatide, there are also reports of patients who develop serious eye problems.
In July 2024, a study published in the medical journal Jama Ophthalmology correlated semaglutidis (is the active substance in Ozempic for diabetes and in Wegovy for slimming) with a rare eye disease called non -arterial anterior ischemic visual neuropathy (Yes). This condition develops when preventing blood flow to the optic nerve, resulting in sudden but painless loss of vision in one eye.
Last February, another study in the same magazine correlated the use of semaglutide or tirzepatide (is the active substance in Mounjaro for diabetes and in Zepbound for slimming) with yes, as well as inflammation in the optic nerve (optic neuritis). There was also an incident of a patient who showed blockage in a vessel of the retina at the back of the eye (paracentric acute average mackerel).
Now, a new study suggests that semaglutide doubles and the risk of neo -vascular Age of macular degeneration (namd). Age of macular degeneration is the most common cause of blindness after 60 years in Europe and the US. Neovascular macular degeneration is a subtype, which observes the creation of new, pathological blood vessels under the central part (called macula) of the retina.
“Neovascular degeneration is less common than other forms of age -old macular degeneration. However, it is responsible for almost all cases of sudden, irreversible loss of central vision, as the development of abnormal vessels causes harm to macula. ” dP Anastasios-i. Kanellopoulos, MD, Surgeon-Ophthalmologist, Founder and Scientific Director of the Institute of Ophthalmology Laservision, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of New York.
There are also research data that shows that semaglutide is also linked to sudden changes in vision, such as its blur. Can also aggravate the diabetic retinopathy.
How serious are all of these ophthalmic risks and what should patients look out for?
“Patients should first know that GLP-1 fighters, who belong to Semaglutide and Tirzepatide, have made the difference in the lives of many diligent types of type 2 diabetes, who are usually overweight or obese. Studies show that not only can they help them regulate their sugar and weight, but also provide additional benefits such as a reduction in cardiovascular risk. Clinical studies with these drugs, however, have shown that they may also have side effects. These include ophthalmologists, who at present seem to be rare, ”the professor replies.
Despite their rarity, however, there are so many people who take these medicines, so that the number of ophthalmologic cases is rapidly increasing.
Scientists do not yet know why they may have problems with their eyes people who receive a GLP-1 militant. Nor do they know why some patients have such problems, while most others do not. But they have several theories about what can happen.
The first is that in some way it is involved in quick change in glucose levels (sugar) brought about by taking them. “These drugs are very effectively thrown into blood sugar. Its abrupt reduction can cause swelling in the optic nerve. It can also temporarily aggravate the lesions caused by high sugar sugar. This is linked to the osmotic changes observed in the eyes. In practice, this means that because the blood sugar is abruptly reduced, the diffusion of fluids between the blood vessels and the cells of the eye is equally abruptly changed, ”explains Mr. Kanellopoulos.
There is, of course, the possibility of the drugs themselves in the eyes, with mechanisms that have not yet been identified. Or even the duration of drugs, patients’ age and other medical history (eg if they already had vascular problems) may still play a role. Of course, it can play a role in combining them and others, unknown so far, factors.
“At the moment, the data we have in our hands show rare correlations of drugs to ophthalmological complications and not a cause of relationship-effect. There are many questions that still need to be answered, so intensive studies are being carried out, ”the professor stresses.
In any case, no patient should be interrupted by fear of taking his GLP-1 fighter unless his treating physician is consulted first, he adds. Patients who have not yet begun to take medicines are advisable to prevent preventive control of their eyes and receive from their ophthalmologist re -examination instructions and what symptoms have their minds.
In consultation with their treating physician, patients are also advisable to gradually begin taking these medicines. And if someone who gets a GLP-1 fighter manifests any change in his eyesight, “it is recommended to speak with his ophthalmologist immediately. Proper evaluation and treatment can treat many of the ophthalmological complications of these drugs. However, there must always be cooperation with the patient’s treating endocrinologist or physician, because both type 2 diabetes and obesity are serious illnesses that need careful treatment, ”concludes Mr. Kanellopoulos.