More Evidence For Increased Risk of NAION With Ozempic or Mounjaro in Diabetes Patients

NAION is Likely Associated With Other Semaglutide or Tirzepatide GLP-1RA Drugs Used for Weight Loss

 

(Posted by Tom Lamb at Drug Injury Watch)

 

A new medical article published August 11, 2025, online by JAMA Network Open, "Semaglutide or Tirzepatide and Optic Nerve and Visual Pathway Disorders in Type 2 Diabetes", provided more evidence for an increased risk of non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy, or NAION, with Ozempic or Mounjaro in diabetes patients.

One primary issue examined by researchers in the medical study underlying this August 2025 article was whether treatment with either Ozempic (semaglutide) or Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is associated with an increased risk of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) when compared to other antidiabetic medications.

From the Discussion part of this recent medical journal article:

In a population of patients with type 2 diabetes who had no prior diagnosis of eye diseases, this cohort study found that semaglutide [(Ozempic)] or tirzepatide [(Mounjaro)] compared with other antidiabetic medications was associated with a differential risk of optic nerve and visual pathways, including increased risk of NAION and other optic nerve disorders, but not optic neuritis, papilledema, optic atrophy, or optic disc orders. Cumulative incidence curves began to diverge immediately after medication initiation and continued to separate thereafter. The slope of the cumulative incidence curve for the semaglutide [(Ozempic)] or tirzepatide [(Mounjaro)] group was consistently larger than that for the comparison group, indicating the potential sustained association of semaglutide [(Ozempic)] or tirzepatide [(Mounjaro)] with risk of NAION and other optic nerve disorders.

Our finding of increased risk of NAION is consistent with findings from cohort studies from 2024 and 2025....

The bottom line for this latest medical study about the drug safety issue of whether there is an increased risk of NAION with Ozempic or Mounjaro was this: "In this study of patients with type 2 diabetes who had no prior eye disorders, patients prescribed semaglutide or tirzepatide had an increased risk of NAION...".

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Besides Ozempic and Mounjaro, there are additional GLP-1RA drugs that are used for obesity and weight loss purposes that contain semaglutide (Wegovy, Rybelsus) or tirzepatide (Zepbound). And there is some evidence that the NAION eye-related side effect is associated with those additional drugs.

We have posted several articles on Drug Injury Watch during the past year about NAION linked to Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Mounjaro, and Zepbound:

Current FDA Safety Investigation: NAION With Mounjaro, Zepbound, and Other GLP-1 RAs (6/27/25)

March 2025 Medical Article About Blindness or Vision Loss Linked to Ozempic and Rybelsus Use by Diabetes Patients (3/31/25)

Ozempic Vision Problems From Semaglutide Apply to Wegovy and Rybelsus, Also (2/21/25)

Novo Nordisk Semaglutide Drug Ozempic Linked to Vision Loss, Doubling the Risk: December 2024 Update (12/18/24)

Wegovy, Rybelsus, and Ozempic Eye Side Effects: Semaglutide Linked to NAION (7/5/24)

We will continue to monitor the relevant medical journals for more studies concerning the association of NAION with Ozempic or Mounjaro, as well as the two other semaglutide-containing drugs (Wegovy, Rybelsus) and the one other tirzepatide-containing drug (Zepbound), reporting significant developments in future Drug Injury Watch articles.

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