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Dad of 4 Lost His Sight on a GLP-1, Now Sues

September 25, 2026
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September 25, 2026 09:00 AM PST

(PenniesToSave.com) – Ed Gillen spent 39 years operating machinery for the Massachusetts state highway department, raised four children, and coached softball in Dedham. After about a year on a GLP-1 medication to bring down his A1C, he woke up on a Saturday morning around Memorial Day 2025 with what looked like a small speck in his eye. Within two weeks, he had lost sight in both eyes [4].

Doctors diagnosed him with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, or NAION, a condition that leads to irreversible blindness [4]. Gillen had to walk away from the job he held for nearly four decades and enrolled at the Carroll Center for the Blind to learn how to live independently again [4]. His story shows how quickly a health event can become a paycheck event, the exact scenario that automating your savings into an emergency fund is built to soften.

Gillen is now one of many plaintiffs suing the makers of popular GLP-1 drugs, including Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, over claims that patients were never warned about this rare form of vision loss [3][4]. Both companies reject the allegations [2][3]. Meanwhile, the nation’s eye specialists say the evidence linking the drugs to NAION is mixed, the absolute risk appears small, and causation has not been established [1]. For anyone paying for these medications, the practical question is how to weigh a rare risk against well-documented benefits, and who should make that call.

What Are the GLP-1 Lawsuits Actually Claiming?

At the center of the litigation is a failure-to-warn argument. The lawsuits allege that the drugmakers should have known about the potential for NAION and informed patients, even though the condition does not appear on U.S. warning labels for these medications. It does appear on some updated labels in other countries [3]. The drugs named in the suits include semaglutide, sold as Ozempic and Wegovy; tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound; and dulaglutide, sold as Trulicity [3].

Reports differ on how many cases involve vision loss. ABC News describes the NAION suits as numbering in the dozens [2]. AZFamily, citing USA Today, puts NAION-specific cases in the hundreds, within a larger pool of thousands of GLP-1 lawsuits that also allege gastrointestinal injuries [3]. According to Boston 25 News, cases like Gillen’s have been consolidated before a federal judge in Pennsylvania [4].

One case described by USA Today and relayed by AZFamily involves a 63-year-old man prescribed Ozempic for diabetes in 2023. Four months later, he woke up with vision loss in one eye, continued the medication without knowing the cause, and lost sight in his other eye in 2024. He is now legally blind [3].

Plaintiff attorneys are actively building caseloads. Maria Raciti, a personal injury attorney at Phillips Law Group in Phoenix, says her firm represents 18 clients alleging GLP-1 injuries of all types and has received close to 200 calls, with a spike in vision loss claims this summer [3].

The companies are pushing back. A Novo Nordisk spokesperson told ABC News the company considers the personal injury lawsuits without merit and is vigorously defending them [2], and Novo has said its own internal safety studies found no increased risk of vision loss [4]. Lilly told ABC News that patient safety is its top priority and that it continues to review data, including data on ophthalmic issues, as part of ongoing discussions with regulators [2]. None of the allegations has been proven in court.

What Is NAION, and Who Faces the Highest Risk?

NAION occurs when the optic nerve does not get enough blood flow, producing sudden, painless vision loss, usually in one eye [1]. Dr. John Chen, a professor of ophthalmology and neurology at Mayo Clinic, told ABC News it is the most common acute optic neuropathy in patients over 50. The vision loss is usually permanent, and there is no specific treatment for it at this time [2].

It is also uncommon. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS), NAION affects between 2.3 and 10.2 people per 100,000 each year [1].

The risk factors matter as much as the medication debate. Diabetes itself raises the risk of NAION regardless of medication use, according to Dr. Raj Maturi, clinical spokesperson for the Academy [1][2]. Other known factors include overnight low blood pressure, untreated sleep apnea, and a very small optic nerve cup [1]. Maturi notes that nighttime low blood pressure can sometimes be treated by taking blood pressure medication in the morning instead [1].

That list carries a practical point. Several of the biggest contributors are things patients and their doctors can actively manage. Treating sleep apnea and reviewing the timing of blood pressure medication are concrete steps within reach, independent of any courtroom outcome. Dr. Larry Frohman, executive vice president of NANOS, encourages patients with other risk factors to work with their physicians to minimize all of their risks where possible [1].

It also complicates the question at the heart of the lawsuits. Many people prescribed these drugs already have diabetes, including Gillen, who used his medication to manage his A1C [4]. Separating the effect of a drug from the effect of the disease it treats is one reason researchers have struggled to reach a firm answer [1].

What Does the Science Say About GLP-1 Drugs and Vision Loss?

Concern began in 2024, when researchers at a single health system in Boston reported that people with type 2 diabetes prescribed semaglutide might face a higher risk of NAION [2]. Larger studies since then have produced mixed results, and none has proven that the drugs cause the condition [2].

In May 2026, the Academy and NANOS published what they describe as the most comprehensive review of the evidence to date, covering more than 40 studies. Pooled across meta-analyses, semaglutide may be associated with about a two-fold increase in the relative risk of NAION [1].

Relative risk can sound alarming without context. Doubling a baseline of 2.3 to 10.2 cases per 100,000 people per year works out, by simple arithmetic, to roughly 2 to 10 additional cases per 100,000 people annually [1]. The European Medicines Agency estimates the condition could affect about 1 in 10,000 GLP-1 users who have diabetes [2], which sits at the upper end of that range.

Even if the risk doubles, the math points to roughly 2 to 10 extra cases per 100,000 people a year.

Based on AAO and NANOS figures [1]

The evidence also cuts the other way. Several large studies, including a Military Health System analysis of 1.2 million patients, found no increased risk at all [1]. The review notes that bigger studies are better positioned to detect risk, but many rely on diagnosis codes not confirmed by neuro-ophthalmologists, which can make findings less precise [1]. No biological mechanism has been confirmed, and some lab research suggests GLP-1 activity may actually protect nerve tissue rather than damage it [1].

Chen points to randomized clinical trials that have repeatedly proven the benefits of these drugs for severe obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, noting that those trials never had to end early because participants were losing their sight [2].

If there is an association, it’s a very low risk.

Dr. John Chen, Mayo Clinic [2]

Gillen’s account differs. He says the neuro-ophthalmologist who evaluated him ran extensive tests and told him his symptoms clearly pointed to Ozempic [4]. That is one physician’s assessment of one case, as Gillen describes it, while the broader body of research has not established that the drugs cause NAION [1][2].

Why Do U.S. Warning Labels Differ From Europe’s?

In the United States, vision problems are listed as possible side effects of these medications, but the Food and Drug Administration does not require drugmakers to list NAION as a specific risk [2]. The FDA’s Sentinel Initiative is still reviewing the possible safety signal, and an agency spokesperson told ABC News the FDA routinely monitors drug safety after approval and takes regulatory action when appropriate [2].

Other regulators have moved faster. The European Medicines Agency and Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration both require drugmakers to warn of a possible increased NAION risk [2]. ABC News characterizes those labels as listing NAION as a rare possible side effect [2], while the Academy describes the EMA’s labeling as calling it very rare, paired with a recommendation to discontinue semaglutide if NAION is confirmed [1].

America’s eye specialists did not endorse that approach. The Academy and NANOS rejected a blanket recommendation to quit the drug, pointing out that for people with severe obesity, hard-to-control diabetes, or cardiovascular disease, abruptly discontinuing the medication can carry more risk than a rare eye event [1]. Instead, they recommend that patients who develop NAION while on semaglutide reach a shared decision with their physicians, weighing overall health, risk factors, treatment options, and the potential risk to the other eye [1].

That position favors measured, evidence-driven regulation and keeps decisions between patients and the doctors who know their histories, rather than applying one-size-fits-all rules based on an unconfirmed signal. Safety signals do not always turn out to be true risks, and not every possible side effect is caused by the medication itself [2].

Still, the label gap is exactly what the plaintiffs are targeting. Their core argument is that patients deserved to hear about the possibility, even if it is rare [3]. Gillen says he knew about the side effects mentioned in commercials and by his doctor, but was never told that permanent vision loss was possible [4]. A patient’s right to know and the evidence standard for a warning label are both legitimate concerns, and the courts will now have to weigh them.

What Should Anyone Taking a GLP-1 Do Right Now?

The first message from doctors is consistent: do not quit the medication on your own. Maturi told ABC News that patients already taking semaglutide without symptoms should continue as instructed and bring any questions to their primary care physician [2]. The Academy’s statement phrases his advice slightly differently, saying such patients should discuss concerns with their primary care physician before making changes [1]. Chen adds that patients should not come off their medications without first talking to their doctor [2].

Second, treat sudden, painless vision loss as urgent and see an ophthalmologist promptly [1][2]. Gillen’s experience shows why speed matters. He describes no warning signs and no pain before his sight went dark [4].

There’s no warning sign at all, there’s no pain; it just comes.

Ed Gillen, Dedham, Mass. [4]

Third, follow the screening guidance. The Academy and NANOS do not recommend a routine eye exam solely to assess NAION risk before starting a GLP-1, because current evidence does not support it [1]. People with diabetes should keep their regularly scheduled diabetic eye exams [1]. Anyone who has already had NAION in one eye does not need an extra screening exam but should discuss the risk to the other eye with a physician before starting a GLP-1 [1]. Chen says those patients may need to weigh the possible risks more closely [2].

Fourth, take ownership of the risk factors within reach. Untreated sleep apnea and overnight low blood pressure are both known contributors, and both can be addressed with a doctor’s help [1].

Finally, plan for the financial side of a health shock. Gillen lost the income from a career of nearly four decades and had to learn what he calls a new job of being blind [4]. A diagnosis like his can force a household to rebuild its budget around a smaller income, and having that plan in place before a crisis makes the adjustment far less painful.

Final Thoughts

The GLP-1 vision lawsuits pit two reasonable concerns against each other. Patients like Ed Gillen want to know they were given the full picture before starting a medication, and the courts will decide whether the drugmakers met that obligation [4]. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly deny the allegations, and none has been proven [2][3].

The science, for now, points to a rare risk if one exists at all. The most comprehensive review to date found a possible doubling of relative risk for semaglutide, a small absolute increase, several large studies showing no link, and no confirmed mechanism [1]. Against that, the benefits for diabetes, severe obesity, and heart disease have been proven in randomized trials [2].

The sensible path runs through the doctor’s office, not the headlines. Know the warning signs, manage the risk factors you can control, keep regular eye exams if you have diabetes, and make changes only with a physician who knows your full history [1][2]. Individual judgment, informed by good data, remains the best protection.

Works Cited

[1] “What the Data Say about GLP-1 Drugs and Vision Loss.” American Academy of Ophthalmology, 22 Sept. 2026, www.aao.org/newsroom/news-releases/detail/what-data-say-about-glp-1-drugs-vision-loss.

[2] Cobern, Jade. “What GLP-1 Users Should Know about the Potential Risk of a Rare Type of Vision Loss.” ABC News, 21 Sept. 2026, abcnews.com/US/glp-1-users-potential-risk-rare-type-vision/story?id=136635318.

[3] Marshall, Micaela, et al. “Hundreds of Lawsuits Allege GLP-1s like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro Caused Vision Loss.” AZFamily, 22 Sept. 2026, www.azfamily.com/2026/09/22/hundreds-lawsuits-allege-glp-1s-like-ozempic-wegovy-mounjaro-caused-vision-loss/.

[4] Gresci, Lisa. “‘Boom, Lights Out’: Massachusetts Man Shares Sudden Blindness Journey after Taking GLP-1.” Boston 25 News, 21 Sept. 2026, www.boston25news.com/news/local/boom-lights-out-massachusetts-man-shares-sudden-blindness-journey-after-taking-glp-1/KR6AVMNMJFBORONYVLXGWDTT2Y/.