Ozempic May Cause Permanent Blindness In Some Patients

Todd Engel, a 63-year-old from Maryland, says a widely prescribed weight-loss medication stole all of his sight and left him legally blind. He began taking Ozempic in 2023 to control type 2 diabetes. This GLP-1 drug is officially approved for diabetes but doctors often prescribe it off-label for shedding pounds. About four months into his treatment, Engel was diagnosed with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, or NAION.

This condition happens when reduced blood flow injures the optic nerve and can cause sudden, permanent blindness in one or both eyes. "I first noticed it on New Year's Eve, 2024," Engel told Fox News Digital during an interview while on camera. "I had just gotten out of the shower, was getting ready to go to work. And I said to Shelley, 'I can't see in my right eye. It's totally black. It's totally dark in my right eye,' " he recalled. He described being horrified and deeply upset by the loss of his vision.

Engel went to Johns Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute for testing. The doctors told him he had suffered an "eye stroke," which is another name for NAION. Shelley Engel noted that medical tests showed his blood work was normal and his blood pressure was fine. They cleared him to return to work immediately. Yet her husband felt the loss was catastrophic. He stated clearly, "I didn't go blind, I had my vision taken from me, which was catastrophic to me and to my family."

For nearly another year, Engel continued taking Ozempic because neither he nor his doctors knew of a possible link between semaglutide and NAION. Then, about 10 months after the first episode, sight vanished in his left eye as well. At that point there was tremendous concern within the family. His wife said medical testing found no other common factor besides Ozempic use. He stopped the drug right away after losing vision in both eyes.

Engel has filed a lawsuit against Novo Nordisk, the Denmark-based maker of Ozempic. He alleges the company failed to warn patients and doctors about the risk of vision loss. He is one of hundreds suing makers of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy over claims these medicines caused NAION. Lawyers say the suits allege manufacturers did not give enough warnings, though a direct causal link has not been proven yet in court.

At the time his sight faded, Engel worked for Howard County Highways as a heavy equipment operator and truck driver. He had spent about 40 years in that field and held a commercial driver's license for nearly that long too. "I was extremely mechanically inclined with my hands and in my mind," he said. "I can't do that anymore, which is extremely upsetting to me." He added that people should be able to retire when they choose, not when a medical catastrophe like this takes away their livelihood.

Even simple daily tasks now feel hard for Engel. Before the vision loss he was an avid reader who enjoyed newspapers, magazines and books. Now he cannot read them at all. The case raises serious questions about how regulations and government directives affect public safety when new drugs enter the market without clear warnings about rare but devastating side effects like eye strokes.

Inside his own house, Engel has had to learn a new way of moving by counting steps on autopilot. He knows exactly how many stairs lead down to the basement, nine, and up to his bedroom, thirteen. Coming from the parking lot, he counts ten before reaching the ground floor. This rigid routine is necessary because his eyesight has failed him.

"I know that coming in from our parking lot, there are 10 steps ... nine going down into our basement, 13 going up into our bedroom," Engel explained. He now relies on a white cane to walk outside and needs help from family for daily tasks. His four grandchildren often act as his guides during get-togethers.

"They will take me by my hand and talk to me: 'Pops, three steps straight. Then we're gonna turn right,' " he said. For Engel, the situation feels humiliating. At 64 years old, he should not need assistance from his wife or grandchildren just to move from point A to point B.

"It's about information," says Jonathan Orent, the family's attorney. He told Fox News Digital that their legal team wants a warning added to the U.S. Ozempic label. That warning would match what doctors and patients see in Europe today. "It's amazing what just a simple warning can do," he said.

Shelley Engel, his wife, notes that the vision loss has touched every corner of their life. "There is not one piece of our lives that hasn't changed or been touched by this throughout our whole family," she stated. The pain hits hardest when it comes to what he misses with loved ones.

"I will never be able to see my wife's beautiful face again, be able to see children and grandchildren, be able to play ball with them," Engel said. "And that is very, very upsetting to me." He wakes up in the dark and falls asleep in it too.

Engel believes a warning would have changed his decision entirely. "Had I known, had my doctor had any inkling that this could have happened ... I'm sure he would have asked me and I would have said absolutely not," he admitted. He refuses to risk his sight for diabetes management.

"We are speaking publicly so others do not face the same outcome," Engel added. "Do the research for yourselves to make sure that my catastrophic injuries do not happen to you or anybody else." If helping even one person avoids this fate, it would be a pleasure for him and Shelley.

Novo Nordisk, the Danish maker of Ozempic, denies that the drug causes NAION. A spokesperson named Liz Skrbkova told Fox News Digital that current data does not prove a link between semaglutide and the eye condition. "A causal relationship between GLP-1RAs, including semaglutide, and NAION cannot be confirmed based on the totality of data," she said.

The company points to its own clinical trials as proof. Those studies showed very few cases of NAION and no rise in incidents for patients taking the drug. Novo says it keeps watching the issue through routine safety checks. "Novo believes the personal injury lawsuits filed in the U.S. are without merit, and we are defending them in court," Skrbkova said.

Engel insists he would not take the medication if he knew the risks. He is willing to manage his diabetes differently rather than jeopardize his vision. The family hopes their story stops others from suffering similar losses. It is a stark reminder of how quickly life can change when health issues strike.