Semaglutide doubles risk of optic neuropathy in patients with T2DM

January 20, 2025

Once-weekly semaglutide administration significantly increases the risk of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) in individuals with T2DM, highlighting the need for careful consideration and further research to identify high-risk subgroups.

Study design: Researchers included all individuals with T2DM in Denmark (N = 424,152) in this 5-year cohort study (2018 - 2024). Participants were categorized based on their exposure to once-weekly semaglutide (n = 106,454) or non-exposure (n = 317,698).

Results: At baseline, median patient age was 65 years, median hemoglobin A1c was 6.7%, and 54.5% of participants were male. Over 1,915,120 person-years, 218 individuals developed NAION. Semaglutide exposure significantly increased the incidence rate (0.228 vs. 0.093 per 1,000 person-years, p < 0.001) and independently doubled the risk of NAION (hazard ratio, 2.19, 95% confidence interval, 1.54 - 3.12). Among those exposed, 67 developed NAION with a median onset of 22.2 months from the first prescription.

Source:

Grauslund J, et al. (2024, December 18). Int J Retina Vitreous. Once-weekly semaglutide doubles the five-year risk of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy in a Danish cohort of 424,152 persons with type 2 diabetes. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39696569/