Diabetes is such a disease in which along with prevention, medicine is also necessary. Nowadays, Semaglutide ingredient is being added to diabetes medicines which is quite popular. If seen, these medicines are being used for diabetes as well as for weight loss. But continuous consumption of these medicines can impair your eyesight. A recent study has revealed that these medicines being taken for the treatment of diabetes and obesity can lead to the risk of blindness.
Use of semaglutide can cause blindness
A study published in JAMA Ophthalmology states that Ozempic or Vegovy, a drug given for weight loss and diabetes, can cause blindness. An ingredient called (Semaglutide) is found in both these medicines, which can cause blindness. After this study, researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital said that due to the presence of semaglutide in these medicines used for obesity and sugar, people taking them are at risk of losing their eyesight i.e. the risk of NAION eye stroke compared to other people. It is 7 percent more.
Health experts say that NAION is a rare eye disease in which optic nerve blindness occurs. During this period, vision starts decreasing without any pain in the eyes and then vision stops completely. It is said that this occurs due to reduced blood flow to the optic nerve in the brain and due to this, there is a risk of losing the vision in one eye. Let us tell you that this disease is still incurable.
Study conducted on 12 thousand people
The study found that people who were taking medicines containing semaglutide component like Ozempic or Vegovy, had very high amounts of semaglutide in their blood and it could cause optic nerve damage. For this, researchers studied more than 17 thousand people for six years. Those taking these medicines for obesity and diabetes were kept in a separate group from the diabetes patients taking other medicines.
After this, patients in the group taking semaglutide and other medicines were compared. This comparative study found that patients taking semaglutide had a higher risk of developing NAION than patients taking other medications. Let us tell you that semaglutide has been used in weight loss and diabetes medicines for a long time. Semaglutide, developed for the treatment of diabetes 2, is also added to many other medicines.