Ozempic and Zepbound Vision Loss Warning: What Novo Nordisk and Lilly Said

Wondering whether Ozempic or Zepbound can affect your eyes? Here's the short answer: the FDA is adding a warning to all GLP-1 medicines about a potential increased risk of NAION, a rare condition that can cause sudden, painless vision loss in one eye. If you ever notice that, contact a health care professional right away. Novo Nordisk says the data do not establish cause and effect, and Eli Lilly says it is carefully evaluating the update. Below, you'll see each company's position beside the FDA's own findings.

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Quick facts as of 2026-11-10

What happened

On Monday, November 9, 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration told patients and health care providers about a potential increased risk of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) with GLP-1 RA medicines. FDA is requiring makers of all these medicines to add that information to the Warnings and Precautions section of their labels. The FDA drug safety communication describes NAION as a rare condition that can suddenly and painlessly reduce vision in one eye, and says the loss can be permanent.

CBS News reports that the class includes a dozen injectable or pill-based drugs. It also says FDA scientists began looking into the issue after a 2024 paper linked NAION to certain patients taking semaglutide. The CBS News report says the risk is being added to the labeling of all GLP-1 drugs.

What Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly said

Each statement below is the company speaking about itself. The FDA's own position is listed too, so you can compare them.

What Dr. Rizzo told CBS News

Dr. Joseph Rizzo is a neuro-ophthalmologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and a co-author of the 2024 paper. The CBS News report says he told the outlet the following on Monday, November 9, 2026:

• He and his team had worked with the FDA on data for some time. He did not know whether the agency was ready to decide, but he was not surprised it added the warning.
• He believes the evidence shows GLP-1 use raises NAION risk, but he does not discourage patients from taking the drugs. He told CBS: “The medicines have really been profoundly beneficial to a large number of people.”
• CBS reports his view that NAION vision loss tends to be irreversible and can worsen even if a patient stops the medication. Some mild improvement can happen, but usually not a large one.
• He said doctors do not yet know well how to lower the risk.
• The loss in one eye does not predict the loss in the other. A mild loss in one eye could be followed by a severe loss in the other.

What the other outlets add

Reuters: reports from other countries

The Reuters report of November 9, 2026 notes that the European Medicines Agency's safety committee said in 2025 that NAION may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people taking semaglutide for at least a year. Reuters also says the Danish Patient Compensation granted compensation to four patients who lost vision after using Novo's GLP-1 drugs, a decision it reported last year. It cites a large study published in 2025, which followed close to 175,000 patients with diabetes on semaglutide and about the same number on non-GLP-1 medicines. Reuters reports that study found NAION risk more than doubled after two years of GLP-1 treatment, compared with other diabetes drug classes.

ABC News: company statements and treatment

The ABC News report (Good Morning America, November 9, 2026) repeats the company statements in the same wording as CBS and Reuters. It lists Sanofi's Soliqua among the labeled products. ABC says there is currently no known treatment to reverse NAION vision loss. It gives the FDA figure as 6.4 vs 3.8 per 100,000 person-years.

NBC News: the 2024 study and other label warnings

The NBC News report of November 9, 2026 says the 2024 JAMA Ophthalmology study found diabetes patients prescribed semaglutide had about four times the likelihood of developing NAION. The study's abstract reports a hazard ratio of 4.28 for that group. NBC also says Novo's and Lilly's labels already carry other warnings, including pancreatitis, gallbladder problems and kidney injury. It quotes Dr. Manjot Gill, a Northwestern Medicine ophthalmologist, calling the FDA's label requirement appropriate.

CBS News: the rate and the background

The CBS News report puts the FDA's analysis of more than 125 trials at roughly 6 NAION cases per 100,000 patients who took a GLP-1 for a year or more, against under 4 per 100,000 in comparison groups. CBS also cites the American Academy of Ophthalmology, which puts NAION at about 2 to 10 of every 100,000 adults over 50 who are not taking GLP-1s.

What this means

FDA's own phrase is “potential increased risk.” Novo Nordisk says the data do not establish cause and effect. Here are the numbers FDA reports:

FDA says adverse-event reports are hard to interpret, because NAION risk factors overlap with conditions common in people on GLP-1 RAs. Those risk factors include smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, anemia and kidney disease. FDA also says that once NAION has occurred in one eye, the other eye faces an increased risk.

Does Ozempic cause eye problems?

FDA is telling patients and providers about a potential increased risk of NAION with Ozempic and every other GLP-1 RA. NAION is rare. FDA describes it as a condition caused by decreased blood flow to the front part of the optic nerve, and says the underlying cause is not completely understood.

What the 2024 study found

The 2024 paper that prompted FDA's review is Hathaway et al., published in 2024 JAMA Ophthalmology study abstract on PubMed. It was a retrospective, observational matched cohort study of patients seen by neuro-ophthalmologists at one academic institution. The type 2 diabetes group included 710 patients: 194 on semaglutide and 516 on other antidiabetes drugs. NAION occurred in 17 semaglutide patients and 6 patients on other drugs. Over 36 months, NAION showed up in 8.9% of the semaglutide group and 1.8% of the group on other drugs.

The authors wrote that the findings suggest an association, and that future study is required to assess causality. FDA says it noted the study's limitations and still ran its own full review, which led to the current action.

Has tirzepatide been linked to vision loss?

FDA describes tirzepatide as a GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist. Its table lists Mounjaro (2022) and Zepbound (2023). FDA says NAION cases have been reported for all currently marketed GLP-1 RA products. Reuters reports that FDA is requiring the warning on Mounjaro and Zepbound, along with Ozempic and Wegovy.

Does blurred vision from Zepbound go away?

The sources describe NAION vision loss as usually permanent. CBS reports Dr. Rizzo's view that it tends to be irreversible and can worsen even if a patient stops the medication. The American Academy of Ophthalmology's patient page says a damaged optic nerve cannot be repaired, so vision loss from ischemic optic neuropathy is usually permanent. The AAO and NANOS consensus statement notes that about one-third of patients may improve mildly on their own, but that vision loss is often permanent.

Blurred or missing parts of vision are among the NAION symptoms FDA lists, and FDA advises contacting a health care professional right away for any of them. The AAO EyeNet article on NAION says no medical or surgical treatment has been shown to improve the outlook in acute NAION.

Is Ozempic FDA-approved for weight loss?

FDA's table lists Ozempic (semaglutide) with a 2017 approval year and Wegovy (semaglutide) with a 2021 approval year. For the class as a whole, FDA lists uses that include reducing excess body weight and maintaining weight reduction. Your next step this week: read the prescribing information for your product to see the uses it carries, and ask your prescriber or pharmacist which apply to you.

Key dates

Who it affects

The warning applies to the whole GLP-1 RA class. The products below are the ones named in this story, with their active ingredient and FDA approval year.

FDA's listed uses for the class include type 2 diabetes, reducing excess body weight, reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events, reducing the risk of worsening kidney disease, moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity, and MASH with moderate-to-advanced liver scarring.

FDA names smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, anemia and kidney disease as NAION risk factors. The American Academy of Ophthalmology says people 50 and older are more likely to have ischemic optic neuropathy. Caregivers should know FDA's symptom list as well: sudden, painless vision loss in one eye that a patient may notice upon waking; blurred or missing portions of vision; distortion of colors; and reduced central sharpness.

Common mix-ups

What happens next

FDA says makers of all GLP-1 RA medicines are required to add the NAION information to the Warnings and Precautions section of labeling. Lilly says it will respond to FDA promptly. ABC News reports there is currently no known treatment to reverse NAION vision loss. The AAO EyeNet article says there is no proven treatment to prevent NAION in the second eye.

If you have diabetes, your diabetes care team can help you think through the new information. For other Ozempic questions, see our guide to when the Ozempic pill will be available and our piece on who was in the retatrutide Ozempic trial.

Questions that settle your next step

• If you notice sudden, painless vision loss in one eye, blurred or missing areas, color changes or reduced central sharpness, contact a health care professional right away, as FDA advises.
• Ask your prescriber whether your medicine's label now carries the NAION information, and what it means for your treatment plan.
• Ask your pharmacist which active ingredient is in your prescription: semaglutide or tirzepatide.
• If you have had NAION, talk with your health care professional about whether to continue your GLP-1 RA, as FDA recommends.
• Ask an eye doctor (ophthalmologist) for an exam if you have any of the symptoms above.
• Report problems to FDA MedWatch, online or by calling 1-800-332-1088.

By the New Life Wellness Guide Editorial Team

This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your doctor or qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your health routine.

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