The European Medicines Agency (EMA) confirmed the link between the active ingredient in Ozempic, semaglutide, and NAION (non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy) in early June 2025. This drug regulator said further that a semaglutide NAION side effect warning would be added to the drug labels for the semaglutide-containing drugs Wegovy, Rybelsus, and Ozempic in Europe (only). Notably, but not surprisingly, the EMA did not include the lesser-known vision loss diagnosis AION (anterior ischemic optic neuropathy) for those semaglutide drug label changes.
An excerpt from a Survey of Ophthalmology medical journal article explains the relationship between the semaglutide NAION side effect and AION:
Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) results from ischemic damage to the anterior portion of the optic nerve, a region primarily supplied by the posterior ciliary artery circulation. Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is divided into two types: arteritic AION (AAION), secondary to vasculitis (especially giant cell arteritis), and nonarteritic AION (NAION), secondary to non-inflammatory small vessel disease. NAION constitutes 95% of all AION and is the most common cause of acute optic neuropathy in people over the age of 50…. [Footnotes omitted.]
Given this information, it is apparent that the NAION side effect can be part of a vision loss AION diagnosis. As such, we should keep in mind that when a person using Rybelsus, Wegovy, or Ozempic is diagnosed with AION, it might be that they have NAION as a side effect of their semaglutide-containing drug.
In the US, the current drug labels for Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus do not warn about NAION as a possible eye-related side effect. Likewise, there is no warning about AION. And unlike what is happening in Europe, there are no drug label changes planned for these semaglutide-containing drugs.
In turn, a person diagnosed with AION while using Ozempic, Wegovy, or Rybelsus could have a potential drug injury lawsuit to file against Novo Nordisk, the responsible pharmaceutical company, even though there was no specific mention of NAION by their eye doctor.
More about this semaglutide NAION side effect and the NAION lawsuits filed against the drug company can be found on the “Eye-related Side Effects of Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus With Vision Loss” page on our Drug Injury Law website.
If you have been diagnosed with AION or NAION, we can assist you with a possible drug injury lawsuit that would be filed against Novo Nordisk, the responsible pharmaceutical company. To get started, you can complete our online Case Evaluation Form, or you can call attorney Tom Lamb (910-256-2971) to discuss your possible case.
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