Photo illustration of Wegovy, Ozempic; Zepbound and Faundayo on a white background. (Photo by: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is mandating new safety labels for popular diabetes and weight-loss medications following investigations into a rare eye condition.
What they're saying:
According to a November 2026 safety communication, medications in the GLP-1 class carry a potentially increased risk for non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a serious condition that can lead to acute, painless, and sometimes permanent vision loss.
The FDA is now requiring the manufacturers of all GLP-1 medications to add NAION information to the "Warnings and Precautions" section of their drug labels.
Which medications are included?
What we know:
The FDA's warning applies to all approved GLP-1 drugs, which include:
- Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus (Semaglutide): Diabetes, weight loss, and cardiovascular risk reduction
- Mounjaro, Zepbound (Tirzepatide): Diabetes and weight loss
- Trulicity (Dulaglutide): Diabetes and cardiovascular risk reduction
- Victoza, Saxenda (Liraglutide): Diabetes and weight loss
- Foundayo (Orforglipron): Diabetes and weight loss
"NAION cases have been reported for all currently marketed GLP-1 RA products," the report states. "FDA concluded that there is a potential increased risk of rare NAION events in patients taking GLP-1 RAs. Based on these findings, FDA is requiring that application holders add information about the risk for NAION to the Warnings and Precautions section of labeling of all GLP-1 RAs."
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What is NAION?
Dig deeper:
NAION occurs when there is a sudden drop in blood flow to the front part of the optic nerve. While the exact underlying cause of this restricted blood flow isn't fully understood, it effectively acts like a stroke in the eye, damaging the nerve that sends visual information to the brain.
Certain pre-existing conditions overlap with the reasons people take GLP-1s. Known risk factors for NAION include:
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Sleep apnea
- Kidney disease
- Anemia
- A history of smoking
If a patient develops NAION in one eye, they are at a significantly higher risk of eventually developing it in the other eye.
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How big is the risk?
Why you should care:
While the warning is serious, the FDA notes that NAION remains a rare condition.
Prompted by a July 2024 medical study, the FDA reviewed data from 126 clinical trials covering over 134,000 patients. They found that out of every 100,000 people taking GLP-1 medication for one year, about 6.4 people experienced a NAION event. By comparison, only 3.8 people out of 100,000 experienced it while taking a placebo or older, non-GLP-1 diabetes drugs.
Subsequent reviews of real-world commercial data also confirmed a slight but statistically notable increase in NAION cases for patients on GLP-1s compared to those taking older diabetes medications like DPP-4 inhibitors.
Symptoms
What you can do:
The FDA advises patients to contact their healthcare provider immediately if they experience any of the following symptoms, particularly upon waking up:
- Sudden, painless loss of vision in one eye
- Blurred vision or hazy central spots
- Missing portions of vision, such as blind spots or tunnel vision
- Distortion of colors
The Source: Information from this article was sourced from a U.S. Food and Drug Administration drug safety communication on November 9, 2026.