Weight loss medications are all the rage right now, but the tale of Todd Engel may put a few customers off products like Ozempic.
From the US state of Maryland, the 63-year-old retired truck driver is now legally blind after being prescribed Ozempic to treat his diabetes back in 2023.
Panicked terror was just around the corner, as four months into his usage of the GLP-1 drug, Engel’s vision in his right eye ceased to exist.
“I first noticed it on New Year’s Eve, 2024,” he told Fox News Digital. “I had just gotten out of the shower, was getting ready to go to work and I said to [wife] Shelley, ‘I can’t see in my right eye. It’s totally black. It’s totally dark in my right eye’. I was horrified. I was very, very upset that I couldn’t see.”
Having sought out testing at The John Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, he was subsequently diagnosed with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), otherwise known as an ‘eye stroke’.
This life-changing condition can cause sudden and permanent loss of vision, yet Engel nor the doctors were aware of any association between Ozempic’s chemical contents and NAION, so he continued taking it.
Weight loss jabs such as Ozempic are primarily used to treat diabetes patients (Getty Stock Images)
10 months later, the same thing happened to his left eye.
“At that point in time, losing sight in both eyes, there was a tremendous amount of concern,” reflected Engel. “I didn’t go blind — I had my vision taken from me, which was catastrophic to me and to my family”.
Due to his health, he was forced to stop working for Howard County Highways.
“I was extremely mechanically inclined with my hands and in my mind. I can’t do that anymore, which is extremely upsetting to me,” Engel noted.
“People want to be able to retire on their own accord when they want to, not when a medical catastrophic injury such as this takes away your livelihood.”
Tragically, surgery isn’t an option to restore his eyesight.
“I will never be able to see my wife’s beautiful face again, be able to see children and grandchildren, be able to play ball with them,” he tragically lamented.
“I wake up in the dark, I go to sleep in the darkness.
“Had I known, had my doctor had any inkling that this could have happened… I’m sure he would have asked me and I would have said: ‘Absolutely not. I will deal with the diabetes. I refuse to jeopardise my eyes.’”
Todd Engel’s life has dramatically changed after being prescribed Novo Nordisk’s product (Fox News)
Danish manufacturer Novo Nordisk is now being sued by the Engel family, alleging that the firm did not warn patients and doctors about the potential health risks connected to its product, Ozempic.
In response, Global Head and AVP for Novo, Ambre James-Brown shared in a statement obtained by LADbible: “We recognise that vision loss can have a profound impact on patients and their families.
“Patient safety is a top priority for Novo, and we take all reports of adverse events seriously. We care deeply about the wellbeing of people who take our medicines and collaborate closely with health authorities and regulatory bodies worldwide.
“Semaglutide has a well-established safety profile, supported by robust clinical development programs, with exposure from post-marketing use of over 58 million patient-years across oral and injectable formulations in obesity and type 2 diabetes.
“Semaglutide has the largest post-marketing exposure among GLP-1-based therapies, providing substantial experience across diverse patient populations. We recommend that all patients maintain close contact with their healthcare professional for proper diagnosis, appropriate treatment, ongoing guidance, and careful monitoring. Novo believes the personal injury lawsuits filed in the US are without merit and we are defending them in court.”
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