[2026 Audit] 'Vision Impairment' Case Reported After GLP-1 Obesity Drug Use in South Korea, Too

Oh Yookyung, Minister of Food and Drug Safety: "A rare but possible side effect"

A suspected case of vision impairment following treatment with a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drug for obesity or diabetes has also been reported in South Korea.

Oh Yukyung, Minister of Food and Drug Safety, answers lawmakers' questions during a parliamentary audit of the ministry and other agencies at the National Assembly on Oct. 13, 2026. Photo by Yoon Dongju

Minister of Food and Drug Safety Oh Yu-kyung said at a parliamentary audit held on the 13th by the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee that one case had been reported in December 2024. She was responding to a question from Baek Seon-hee of the Rebuilding Korea Party, who asked whether there had been a suspected case of vision impairment caused by NAION after the use of a GLP-1 obesity drug.

NAION, known as a "stroke of the eye," is the second-leading cause of blindness resulting from damage to the optic nerve, after glaucoma. It is caused by a lack of blood supply to the optic nerve and can lead to permanent blindness.

In the United States, patients have filed a series of lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, claiming they suffered vision loss after using GLP-1 drugs for obesity or diabetes.

Although a causal link between GLP-1 drugs and NAION has not been clearly established, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) designated NAION in June 2025 as a "very rare side effect" of semaglutide, the active ingredient in these drugs.

In this regard, Minister Oh said, "The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also recognized it as a side effect on October 7," adding, "It is now listed as a 'rare but possible side effect.'"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.