ATLANTA — A Georgia woman said her GLP-1 weight loss drug made her blind. She said she took Wegovy to lose a few pounds and ended up losing her eyesight.
Channel 2 investigative reporter Sophia Choi has her warning and the risk.
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“My vision is just not what it was,” said Diane Wirth.
She spends a lot of time at her Hartwell, Georgia home these days.
“It’s a lot more difficult,” said Wirth.
She tries to do her best with chores like cooking with blurry vision.
“It’s just your depth perception is off,” said Wirth.
The former Grady Memorial Hospital nurse practitioner woke up on a Saturday just weeks after starting Wegovy in February 2025 to lose a few pounds and could not see out of her right eye.
“It was heartbreaking. It was jarring. I was angry,” said Wirth.
She said no one told her about any risk of blindness and it wasn’t listed as a side effect. Doctors diagnosed her as legally blind. She can only see blurry shapes through that right eye.
“Bottom line is there’s nothing you can do to prevent NAION if it’s goanna happen with these drugs because there’s not a warning sign. You wake up and you’re blind,” said Wirth.
Her attorney Jason Goldstein, with Parker Waichman LLP, also is on the steering committee for more than 130 cases like hers.
They’re all part of a multi district lawsuit going before a Philadelphia judge. All of the plaintiffs got NAION or non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy after taking GLP-1s.
“It comes on suddenly, you don’t feel it, and then it’s permanent,” said Goldstein.
NAION is essentially an eye stroke caused by restricted blood flow. It’s not painful, but it is irreversible.
“I have a client who is as young as 33-years-old who has developed this… I have a client from New York, a 48-year-old gentleman, lost it in both eyes,” said Goldstein.
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Norvo Nordisk and Lilly are the two big makers of GLP-1s including Wegovy, Ozempic, Monjouro and Zepbound.
Both companies said patient safety is their top priority.
Lilly sent this statement:
“Patient safety is Lilly’s top priority. We actively monitor, evaluate, and report safety information for all our medicines to the FDA. As part of our routine safety review process for Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Zepbound (tirzepatide) we have ongoing discussions with regulators regarding potential safety topics, and we will continue to review data, including any data regarding ophthalmic issues. Recent literature has concluded that the “evidence does not establish a causal relationship between GLP-1RAs and NAION.” If anyone is experiencing side effects when taking a Lilly medicine, they should talk to their doctor or other healthcare professional.”
Novo Nordisk said it conducted its own study of 96,000 patients and found no increased risk.
“Once it happens, it’s permanent. There’s no going back so, it’s scary,” said Wirth.
The lawsuit states there is a risk and the companies knew about it from a 2024 study published in JAMA Ophthalmology which found a link between GLP1s and blindness yet decided not to list it as a rare side effect.
“In Europe the label has been updated for semaglutide which is what Wegovy and Ozempic is to warn about this rare condition in the U.K., the same thing,” said Goldstein.
Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovy, sent this statement:
“The FDA is currently conducting a comprehensive epidemiological study to evaluate the potential safety signal and has not revised the currently approved labels for GLP-1 therapies to include NAION as a potential side effect.
Patient safety is our top priority, and we take all reports of adverse events related to the use of our medicines very seriously.
Semaglutide has demonstrated a wide range of benefits within the GLP-1 class beyond glycemic control and weight loss, particularly for people with cardiometabolic disease. Considering the totality of evidence from clinical trials, post-marketing reports, and
observational studies, alongside the generally low incidence rate of NAION, Novo Nordisk believes that the benefit-risk profile of semaglutide remains favorable.
We remain committed to patient safety and transparency by maintaining up-to-date safety information and collaborating closely with health authorities and regulatory bodies worldwide.
In addition, Novo Nordisk conducted a pooled analysis of all randomized, placebo-controlled trials of liraglutide and semaglutide (involving more than 96,000 patients) and found no increased risk of NAION associated with either GLP-1 therapy.”
Wirth lost a lot when she lost her eyesight.
She had to quit her job and she lost her independence.
She can no longer drive and relies on her husband instead.
“And now because my depth perception is so off when he’s driving, I’m always telling him you’re too close, you’re too close, and he’s not,” said Wirth.
“So, I just smile and keep driving,” said her husband.
Wirth still has her sense of humor.
But as a former nurse she is serious about getting the warning out to patients about the possible link between GLP-1 weight loss drugs and the risk of blindness.
“If I would have read that there’s a possibility that I could lose my vision, I would’ve never taken this drug. I just, I mean your eyesight is not anything you can get back and it’s a permanent loss,” said Wirth.
Choi reached out to the FDA and CDC.
The CDC said it may be important to see an ophthalmologist for a baseline and routine follow up eye exam, in addition to seeing your regular healthcare provider if you’re on GLP-1s.
The FDA has not responded yet.
It could take years for the outcome of this lawsuit, and another one before the same judge involving possible stomach paralysis from GLP-1s.
WSB-TV will stay on both lawsuits.
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