Georgia Woman Blames GLP-1 Drug for Permanent Vision Loss

A Georgia woman who says she permanently lost vision in her right eye after taking the weight-loss medication Wegovy now wants drug companies and federal regulators to provide stronger warnings about a potential eye-related risk.

Diane Wirth, a former nurse practitioner at Grady Memorial Hospital, says she experienced sudden vision loss just weeks after she started taking Wegovy in 2025. Doctors later diagnosed Wirth with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, or NAION, a condition that doctors sometimes call an “eye stroke.”

NAION occurs when reduced blood flow damages the optic nerve. The condition can cause sudden vision loss, and Wirth says doctors told her that she could not recover the sight she lost in her right eye.

Wirth says she never received a warning about the potential risk before taking Wegovy. She now participates in a federal multidistrict lawsuit that accuses GLP-1 drugmakers of failing to adequately warn patients about NAION and other potential risks.

The case comes as health regulators in several countries examine the possible connection between GLP-1 medications and NAION. Regulators in Europe, Canada and Australia have added or updated warnings about the condition, according to The Jasmine Brand.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not added a NAION warning to the labels for these medications. The agency continues to evaluate the potential safety concern.

Wirth says the vision loss affected far more than her eyesight. She says the condition cost her job and forced her to give up some of her independence.

She also says she would have reconsidered taking Wegovy if she had known about the potential risk.

“If I would’ve read that there was a possibility I could lose my vision, I would’ve never taken this drug,” Wirth said.