Ongoing lawsuits allege GLP-1s can cause serious harm. But we don't know how often
Lawsuits are emerging against the manufacturer of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, alleging that the medication can cause serious side effects such as optic neuropathy. While some research has explored these links, the frequency and causality remain subjects of ongoing legal and scientific debate.
Why it matters
As GLP-1 drugs become widely used for weight loss, understanding potential long-term health risks is critical for public safety and pharmaceutical regulation.
Todd Engel had operated heavy machinery, like forklifts and rubber-tire loaders, around warehouses and highways in suburban Maryland for four decades.
Health GLP-1 drugs don't work for everyone. But personalized obesity care in the future might In early 2023, Engel's doctor put him on Ozempic, a GLP-1, for diabetes. That winter, on New Year's Eve, Engel woke up feeling as if a patch covered his right eye: "I couldn't see anything. It was all dark. It was black."
The doctor told Engel and his wife Shelley it was a form of optic neuropathy — NAION , for short – an inoperable condition caused by tiny strokes that cut off blood flow to his eye. When the doctor listed all known causes, Shelley Engel specifically asked about Ozempic. "'We have heard nothing about that,'" she recalls the doctor telling her.
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