Australian regulator warns of ‘rare but severe’ eye disorder linked to GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic

Australia’s medicines regulator has issued warnings for several type 2 diabetes and obesity-related treatments – including Ozempic and Mounjaro – over the potential to cause a “rare but severe” eye disorder that could lead to blindness.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA) warning came after several GLP-1 RA medicines marketed in Australia as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, among other products, were linked to 36 cases of the condition.

The TGA says the eye disorder – non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION) – may result in permanent visual impairment and “no treatment has been shown to improve visual acuity outcomes” after the condition develops.

Product information documents for Australians have been updated to reflect the new warning, and patients prescribed the drugs are urged to “seek urgent medical attention if they experience sudden vision loss, including partial loss of vision”.

But the TGA does not recommend patients stop treatment without first consulting a doctor, nor has it placed new restrictions on prescriptions.

Prof Helen Danesh-Meyer, from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, said that NAION is “a very rare condition” that “needs to be put in perspective” to avoid causing alarm.

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Source: The Guardian, 24 July 2026