A Maryland man claims that a popular weight-loss drug caused his total vision loss, leaving him legally blind.
Todd Engel, 63, was first prescribed Ozempic in 2023 to help manage his diabetes. The GLP-1 medication, which is approved to treat type 2 diabetes, is also commonly prescribed off-label for weight loss.
Approximately four months after starting the medication, Engel was diagnosed with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).
The condition, in which reduced blood flow damages the optic nerve, can cause sudden and permanent vision loss.
“I first noticed it on New Year’s Eve, 2024. I had just gotten out of the shower, 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 during an on-camera interview.
“I was horrified. I was very, very upset that I couldn’t see.”
Engel was referred for further testing, including at Johns Hopkins’ Wilmer Eye Institute. He was told he had suffered an “eye stroke,” another term used for NAION.
“The blood work came back in the normal range for me. My blood pressure was fine. They said, ‘You can go back to work,’” he said.
Engel continued taking 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, vision loss suddenly occurred in his left eye.
“At that point in time, losing sight in both eyes, there was a tremendous amount of concern,” he said.
Doctors told Engel there was no medication or surgical procedure that could restore his vision.
Shelley Engel said that medical testing did not identify another common factor beyond Ozempic. Her husband immediately stopped taking the drug after losing vision in his second eye.
“I didn’t go blind — I had my vision taken from me, which was catastrophic to me and to my family,” he said.
Engel has filed a lawsuit against Novo Nordisk, the Denmark-based manufacturer of Ozempic, alleging that the company failed to adequately warn patients and doctors about the potential risk of vision loss.
He is among hundreds of patients currently pursuing legal action against makers of GLP-1 medications, including Ozempic and Wegovy, over claims that the drugs caused NAION.
The lawsuits allege that manufacturers failed to provide sufficient warnings about the potential risks, although a causal relationship between the medications and the condition 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 worked in the field for about 40 years and held a commercial driver’s license for nearly as long.
“I was extremely mechanically inclined with my hands and in my mind. I can’t do that anymore, which is extremely upsetting to me,” he said.
“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.”
Beyond losing 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 can no longer read newspapers, magazines or books. Inside his home, he has learned to count steps to help navigate familiar spaces.
“I know that coming in from our parking lot, there are 10 steps … nine going down into our basement, 13 going up into our bedroom.”
Engel said he now uses a white cane to navigate outside his home and relies on his family for help with everyday activities. His four grandchildren often guide him during family gatherings.
“They will take me by my hand and talk to me: ‘Pops, three steps straight. Then we’re gonna 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.”
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 is not one piece of our lives that hasn’t changed or been touched by this throughout our whole family.”
For Engel, some of the most painful losses involve the things he can no longer do with the people closest to him.
“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 said. “And that is very, very upsetting to me.”
“I wake up in the dark, I go to sleep in the darkness.”
A warning to others
Engel said that if he had been warned about a possible link between Ozempic and vision loss, he would not have taken the drug.
“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,” he said. “I will deal with the diabetes … I refuse to jeopardize my eyes.”
The Engels said they are speaking publicly in hopes of preventing others from experiencing the same outcome.
“Do the research for yourselves to make sure that my catastrophic injuries do not happen to you or anybody else,” Engel said. “If we can help one person, then that’s a pleasure to Shelley and I.”
‘It’s about information’
The family’s attorney, Jonathan Orent, said the legal team is seeking a warning on the US Ozempic label similar to information provided to patients and doctors in Europe.
Orent is co-lead counsel in nationwide litigation involving GLP-1 drugs, including lawsuits alleging vision loss linked to Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound.
“It’s amazing what just a simple warning can do,” he told Fox News Digital. “That’s really what this case is about. It’s about information.”
Company response
Novo Nordisk, the Denmark-based company that makes Ozempic, has disputed that the medication causes NAION, stating that the available evidence does not establish a causal relationship between semaglutide and the eye condition.
“A causal relationship between GLP-1RAs, including semaglutide, and NAION cannot be confirmed based on the totality of data,” Liz Skrbkova, head of US Media and Stakeholder Relations for Novo Nordisk, told Fox News Digital.
The company pointed to an analysis of its randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials that found very few confirmed cases of NAION and no increased incidence among patients taking semaglutide.
Novo said it continues to monitor NAION as part of its routine drug-safety surveillance.
“Novo believes the personal injury lawsuits filed in the US are without merit, and we are defending them in court,” Skrbkova said.