FDA issues vision loss warning for GLP-1 users

I want to tell you about a story that is trending right now on our website and a lot of different news websites across the country. It has to do with the popular GLP-1s that millions of Americans are on. A new warning for people taking the popular diabetes and weight loss medications, including Ozempic and Wegovy. The FDA is now requiring new warning labels across the GLP-1 drug class about a possible increased risk of a rare eye condition that can cause permanent vision loss. The FDA says the problem is caused by decreased blood flow to the. the optic nerve and can result in significant loss of vision. Symptoms include blurry vision and blind spots. An FDA review of 126 clinical trials found about six cases per 100,000 patients years among people taking these drugs compared to about four in the comparison group. And so joining us now is Dr. Steve Goldberg, chief medical officer at HealthTrack, a nationwide overnight diagnostic laboratory. And so, doctor, I appreciate your expertise and I appreciate you joining us this afternoon to break all this down for us. You bet, Tyler. So, doctor, what does this mean? I mean, people hear a rare sudden loss of vision. So, let's get started. It's still rare, but there's an increased risk here. I mean, how concerned should people be who may be on GLP-1s? It is a very, very rare occurrence, but is a very serious occurrence, irreversible blindness. And a large study brought it to the FDA's attention. They felt the data was significant enough to require a warning and precaution. So here's what I would do if I'm on a GLP-1 agent or I haven't started one. The first thing I would do is go get an eye exam and make sure I don't have a treatable cause of something that might lead to blindness, such as a cataract or glaucoma or macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy. And then if I'm all OK on those things, I would talk with my practitioner and say, do Do we really think the GLP-1 agent... is good for me. And especially if you have heart risk or kidney risk, it's likely beneficial despite this very concerning, very, very small risk. So that's how I would take this information and put it into practice. And so, doctor, I mean, we see from time to time different things about GLP-1s are coming out. And some of the things seem like, and I've heard from medical experts before, that it could be related to malnutrition. I mean, is there a chance that because of the fact that it suppresses the appetite so much, people might not be getting the nutrition they need that could result in something like this? Or is it just simply too early to tell exactly the cause of why there's an increased risk for people on GLP-1s and sudden vision loss? Well, Tyler, you made a really important point. There's not a causal relationship between using a GLP-1 agent and having this blindness occurrence, although very, very rare. What happened is they saw an association. And as you explained, about six cases in 100,000 if you're on these meds versus four cases per 100,000 if you're not. So overall, small numbers overall. A slight increase. And so with any medication, you've got to balance the benefits and risks. And what I would just do differently in light of this new warning and precaution is get a careful eye exam before I started the medication. Should people be calling their prescriber right now and saying, hey, well, maybe we should kind of not use this any longer? Or is this more of like, hey, you should just be aware? And that's why the FDA is issuing the warning so that people are aware that this is something that they are seeing. But obviously, more stuff needs to be done with it. Yeah, what I will do with my own patients is make them aware of this new warning and precaution, invite them to come in and answer their questions, and then I will check the record to make sure they've had an eye exam and confirm they don't have more common causes that can lead to blindness, such as cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, or diabetic diabetic retinopathy. That's how I'm going to put this new information. Into practice. And Dr. Goldberg, one last question. If people I know who are on this, should I be calling them today and telling them, hey, maybe you don't want to use this? Or is this just something people need to be aware? I just want to reiterate that one more time. Should people just be aware of this? Or is this something people should just immediately stop using this drug or these drugs? Okay. They should be aware of it. They should not disrupt taking the medication. That said, what I would encourage them to do is check when they've last had an eye exam and confirm they don't have a treatable cause of an eye problem, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. That's all I would do to start with this new information. Obviously, the headline, the FDA issuing this warning grabs a lot of people's attention. I was seeing it on a number of websites this morning, and it certainly grabbed my attention. I'm so glad, Dr. Goldberg, that you were able to join us this afternoon to talk about this, and just I appreciate your time. You bet, Tyler. Have a good day. You too.