Man claims he went blind after taking Ozempic, shares warning for other users

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 NAION (nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy).

POPULAR WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS FACE NUMEROUS LAWSUITS OVER RARE ‘EYE STROKE’ LINKED TO VISION LOSS 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." DOCTORS REVEAL HIDDEN DANGER FOR SOME OZEMPIC, WEGOVY USERS WITH BRAIN DISORDERS 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.