Semaglutide Vision: How Common, How Long It Lasts
The semaglutide labels name retinopathy as a reported side effect but give no trial rate for it.
- In the label
- Listed, no rate given
- Label term
- retinopathy
A quick look at Wegovy
Its half-life is about 1 week: after 7 d half is gone, and after five half-lives (35 d) about 3% remains.
Over 68 weeks, STEP 1 reported 14.9% of body weight, compared with 2.4% on placebo.
The maker's price page provides monthly list prices and self-pay offers in US dollars.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed), healthsystemtracker.org, prnewswire.com 1 2.
An alternative listed in the Ozempic label
The Ozempic label gives no rate for vision changes. It lists five side effects most often, with rates for each.
| Side effect | Placebo | Ozempic 0.5 mg | Ozempic 1 mg | More than placebo, 1 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nausea | 6.1% | 15.8% | 20.3% | +14.2 points |
| Vomiting | 2.3% | 5% | 9.2% | +6.9 points |
| Diarrhea | 1.9% | 8.5% | 8.8% | +6.9 points |
| Abdominal pain | 4.6% | 7.3% | 5.7% | +1.1 points |
| Constipation | 1.5% | 5% | 3.1% | +1.6 points |
Source: Ozempic label (DailyMed).
From the FDA DailyMed label.
What the label says
Below is the label's exact wording for vision changes:
“with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk, more events of diabetic retinopathy complications occurred in patients treated with OZEMPIC (3.0%) compared to placebo (1.8%).”
From the FDA DailyMed label.