NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A Maryland man claims a popular weight-loss drug caused his total vision loss, rendering him legally blind.
Todd Engel, 63, was first prescribed Ozempic in 2023 to help manage his diabetes. The drug GLP-1, approved to treat type 2 diabetes, is also commonly prescribed off-label for weight loss.
About four months after starting treatment, Engel was diagnosed with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).
POPULAR WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS FACE MANY LAWSUITS FOR RARE “EYE STROKE” RELATED TO VISION LOSS
This condition, in which decreased blood flow damages the optic nerve, can lead to sudden and permanent vision loss.
Maryland man Todd Engel claims a popular weight loss drug caused his total vision loss, rendering him legally blind. (Engel family)
“I first noticed it on New Year’s Eve 2024. I had just gotten out of the shower and I 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,'” Engel told Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview.
“I was horrified. I was very, very upset that I couldn’t see.”
DOCTORS REVEAL HIDDEN DANGER FOR SOME OZEMPIC AND WEGOVY USERS WITH BRAIN DISORDERS
Engel was referred for further testing, including to the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins. He was told he had suffered a “stroke,” another term used for NAION.
“The blood tests came back within normal limits for me. My blood pressure was good. They told me, ‘You can go back to work,'” he said.
“I did not go blind: my sight was taken away, which was catastrophic for me and my family.”
Engel continued to take Ozempic because, according to the family’s account, neither he nor his doctors knew of a possible association between semaglutide and NAION.
About 10 months later, a sudden loss of vision occurred in his left eye.
“At that time, there was enormous concern about losing sight in both eyes,” he said.
RAPID WEIGHT LOSS WITH POPULAR DRUGS COULD “ STARVING ” THE BRAIN, EXPERT WARNS
Doctors told Engel there was no medication or surgery that could restore his vision.
Shelley Engel said medical tests did not identify any other common factor beyond Ozempic. Her husband immediately stopped taking the medication after losing vision in his second eye.
At the time of his vision loss, Engel was working for Howard County Highways as a heavy equipment operator and truck driver. (The Engel family)
“I did not go blind: my sight was taken away, which was catastrophic for me and my family,” he said.
Engel filed a lawsuit against Novo Nordisk, the Danish manufacturer of Ozempic, alleging that the company failed to properly warn patients and doctors about the potential risk of vision loss.
WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS LINKED TO “OZEMPIC EARS” AND OTHER COSMETIC COMPLAINTS, SURGEONS SAY
He is one of hundreds of patients currently pursuing lawsuits against the makers of GLP-1 drugs, including Ozempic and Wegovy, on the grounds that the drugs allegedly caused NAION.
The lawsuits allege that manufacturers failed to provide sufficient warnings about potential risks, although a causal link between the drugs and the disease has not been definitively established.
Life after vision loss
At the time of his vision loss, Engel was working for Howard County Highways as a heavy equipment operator and truck driver.
He had been in the business for about 40 years and had a commercial driver’s license for almost as long.
Beyond the loss of his career, Engel said even ordinary activities he once took for granted have become difficult. (The Engel family)
“I was extremely mechanically inclined, with my hands and in my mind. I can’t do that anymore, which bothers me a lot,” he said.
“People want to be able to retire on their own accord whenever they want, not when a catastrophic medical injury like this… takes away your livelihood.”
PEOPLE WHO Take Weight Loss Drugs Report Their Nails Falling Out as Researchers Discover Surprising Link
Beyond the loss of his career, Engel said even ordinary activities he once took for granted have become difficult.
An avid reader before his vision loss, Engel said he could no longer read newspapers, magazines or books. Inside his home, he learned to count steps to move through familiar spaces.
7 DAILY MISTAKES COULD QUIETLY DAMAGE YOUR VISION, WARNS AN Ophthalmologist
“I know coming from our parking lot, there are 10 steps… nine going down to our basement, 13 going up to our bedroom.”
Engel said he now uses a white cane to get around outside his home and relies on his family to help him with his daily activities. His four grandchildren often guide him at family gatherings.
Engel is one of hundreds of patients currently pursuing lawsuits against the makers of GLP-1 drugs, including Ozempic and Wegovy, on the grounds that the drugs allegedly caused NAION. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“They’ll take my hand and say, ‘Pops, three steps straight. Then we’ll turn right,'” he said.
“For me personally, it’s embarrassing. I’m 64 years old. I shouldn’t need… my grandchildren or my wife to help me get from point A to point B.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
His wife, Shelley Engel, said her husband’s vision loss has affected the entire family.
“It has completely changed every aspect of our lives,” she said. “There isn’t a single part of our lives that hasn’t changed or hasn’t been impacted by this situation in our entire family.”
“It completely changed every aspect of our lives,” Engel’s wife said. “There isn’t a single part of our lives that hasn’t changed or hasn’t been impacted by this situation in our entire family.” (The Engel family)
For Engel, some of the most painful losses are the things he can no longer do with his loved ones.
“I will never be able to see my wife’s beautiful face again, or see my children and grandchildren, or play ball with them,” he said. “And it’s very, very upsetting to me.”
“I wake up in the dark, I fall asleep in the dark.”
A warning to others
Engel said that if he had been warned of a possible link between Ozempic and vision loss, he would not have taken the drug.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“If I had known, if my doctor had any idea that this could have happened…I’m sure he would have asked me and I would have said absolutely no,” he said. “I’m going to take care of diabetes…I refuse to put my eyes in danger.”
Novo Nordisk disputed that the drug causes NAION, saying the available evidence does not establish a causal relationship between semaglutide and the eye disease. (LISELOTTE SABROE/Scanpix Denmark/AFP via Getty Images)
The Engels said they were speaking out publicly in hopes of preventing others from experiencing the same outcome.
“Do some research on your own to make sure my catastrophic injuries won’t happen to you or anyone else,” Engel said. “If we can help one person, then it will be a pleasure for Shelley and I.”
“It’s a question of information”
The family’s lawyer, Jonathan Orent, said the legal team was seeking a warning on the U.S. Ozempic label similar to information provided to patients and doctors in Europe.
“It’s amazing what a simple warning can do,” he told Fox News Digital. “That’s really what this case is about. It’s about information.”
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Company response
Novo Nordisk, the Danish company that makes Ozempic, has disputed that the drug causes NAION, saying the available evidence does not establish a causal relationship between semaglutide and the eye disease.
“Novo believes the personal injury lawsuits filed in the United States are without merit and we are defending them in court.”
“A causal relationship between GLP-1RAs, including semaglutide, and NAION cannot be confirmed based on the total data,” Liz Skrbkova, U.S. media and stakeholder relations manager for Novo Nordisk, told Fox News Digital.
The company highlighted an analysis of its randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials that found very few confirmed cases of NAION and no increased incidence in patients taking semaglutide.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Novo said it continues to monitor NAION as part of its routine drug safety monitoring.
“Novo believes that the personal injury lawsuits filed in the United States are without merit and we are defending them in court,” Skrbkova said.
Gn Health
