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Georgia woman part of lawsuit claiming link between GLP-1 weight loss drugs and blindness
WSB-TV • • health
Key Points:
- Diane Wirth, a Georgia woman, claims she became legally blind after taking the GLP-1 weight loss drug Wegovy, experiencing sudden vision loss weeks after starting the medication.
- Wirth and over 130 plaintiffs are part of a multi-district lawsuit alleging GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic cause non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a rare but irreversible eye stroke.
- Drug makers Novo Nordisk and Lilly deny a proven link between GLP-1 drugs and blindness, citing studies involving tens of thousands of patients and ongoing FDA evaluations, but some international labels now warn of this risk.
- The lawsuit references a 2024 JAMA Ophthalmology study linking GLP-1s to NAION, which plaintiffs argue companies knew about but did not disclose as a side effect in the U.S.
- Health authorities recommend patients on GLP-1 drugs get baseline and routine eye exams; the FDA has yet to respond publicly, and legal proceedings on this and related GLP-1 safety issues may take years.
