‘Weight-loss drugs seemed good alternative but...’: How Ozempic led to vision blindness disaster - survivor recounts

Losing weight never seemed easier than taking medication but the risk associated with it outweigh the possible benefits it brings as narrated by a 56-year-old mechanic from US' New Jersey. James Norris who resides in Roxbury shared his ordeal of aftereffects of choosing the shorter route to lose weight. After struggling to lose weight for years with diet and exercise, James Norris decided to take low dose of Mounjaro, a GLP-1 medication similar to Ozempic.

James Norris, who weighed 131 kilograms (289 pounds), was convinced that the medication would work on him as well after his wife witnessed positive results while on medication for several months. James Norris' wife had lost 27.2 kilograms with the drug's use which fuelled his eagerness to try it. “I just couldn’t keep weight off — [the drug] seemed like a good alternative,” New York Post quoted James Norris as saying.

He administered the first dose of 1.5 mg in March 2023. Subsequently, he lost around 40 kilograms, which made it possible to wean off medications for other linked ailments, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol. However, the benefits of weight-loss drug were short-lived which came to be outweighed by the dangers associated with it.

Vision blindness disaster

When James Norris' doctor increased the medication's dosage to 2.5 milligrams, his apparently came face with vision problems, waking up one morning only to find clouded vision in his left eye. He dismissed this, believing it to be an impact of sinus infection. James Norris said, “I didn’t know what was going on,” New York Post reported.

However, a CT-scan and a visit to neuro-ophthalmologist pointed to a bigger problem. The reports revealed that James Norris had non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). This refers to a condition in which the loss of blood flow to the optic nerve that causes sudden vision loss. “I was devastated,” adding, he said. “It’s extremely rare to get NAION in both eyes.” James Norris discontinued the drug use around July 2024 but suffers from significant impaired vision.

Administration of popular weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy has been linked with increased risk of NAION, as per recent research. Describing his experience, James Norris said, “I’ve been a mechanic my whole life — I can’t do anything hands on anymore."