Half of the country is currently taking Ozempic or another semaglutide for one reason or another – or at least, that’s how it seems.

Whether they’re hoping it will help control their diabetes or simply lead to some weight loss, I bet you can name a couple of people you know personally who are using it.

But, is it safe?

The truth is that it hasn’t been on the market long enough to be thoroughly studied, and long-term side effects are still pretty much a mystery.

This study, though, suggests there could be a link between it and a condition that can cause blindness.

Harvard scientists looked at patients prescribed semaglutide and found that they were between four and seven times more likely to develop non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.

It’s a condition that blocks blood flow to eye nerves and can lead to blindness in most individuals, and there is currently no known treatment.

The study included data from 16,000 patients who received treatment for the condition over a six-year period. 710 of them had type 2 diabetes, 194 had been prescribed semaglutide, and 975 were overweight, with 361 of them being prescribed Ozempic.

For the diabetic group, the findings shows they were 7% more likely to develop the eye condition than diabetics who were prescribed a different drug regimen.

The results for the group of weight-loss patients were more stark – those taking semaglutide were seven times more likely to develop the sight-threatening condition than those who didn’t take one.

Graham McGeown, a physiology professor in Belfast, says that we’re likely to see more scrutiny as research into side effects grows.

“Given the rapid increase in semaglutide use and its possible licensing for a range of problems other than obesity and type 2 diabetes, this issue deserves further study, but possible drug side effects always need to be balanced against likely benefits.”

I have a feeling a lot of people are going to be thinking twice about their choices.

Then again, maybe it will all turn out to be a false alarm.

Only time will tell!

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read a story that reveals Earth’s priciest precious metal isn’t gold or platinum and costs over $10,000 an ounce!