Ozempic is often prescribed to people with diabetes. Some of Ozempic’s side effects affecting vision may be due to having low blood sugar levels. Once the blood sugar improves, these side effects tend to go away.
The manufacturer of Ozempic cautions about using the drug along with certain medications that can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Taking them together may increase your risk of getting low blood sugar, which sometimes causes vision problems. These other medications include insulin and a sulfonylurea.
Blurred vision is a symptom of low blood sugar. Some other signs and symptoms may include:
- hunger
- shakiness
- sweating
- headache
- tingly skin
- confusion
Before you start Ozempic, tell your doctor whether you take insulin or any other medications. They may adjust your insulin plan or your dosage of other diabetes drugs to help prevent low blood sugar with Ozempic.
It depends. When the body has a change in sugar level, it can affect the shape of the lens of the eye. This change is what can cause blurred vision.
Older adults (ages 65 years and older) may be more likely to have blurred vision, especially when starting Ozempic. Because the lens becomes less flexible with age, vision takes longer to make needed adjustments. This is especially true when the blood sugar level changes. One vision specialist notes that blurred vision with hypoglycemia in older adults should lessen after 3 or 4 months.
It might, but this has not been proven. For example, diabetic retinopathy can also occur during treatment with Ozempic. Diabetic retinopathy can cause blurred vision and other symptoms that distort vision, such as floaters and color changes. But people with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes can also develop this condition. (Ozempic is approved for use only in people who have type 2 diabetes.) This means that the underlying cause for which people take Ozempic may cause some side effects related to vision.
Experts are beginning to investigate this further. Some have reviewed existing data concerning the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. (Ozempic is a GLP-1 medication.) The following discussion presents some highlights but not conclusions about the use of Ozempic.
2025 review of GLP-1 medications
In a 2025 publication, the authors reviewed semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic) and several other GLP-1 medications. The review used data from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). This system collects reports of adverse events (reports of negative events) from drug manufacturers, consumers, and healthcare professionals. The review also used data from the World Health Organization (WHO) VigiBase.
FAERS notes that an adverse event is any symptom that occurs during treatment with a drug, which may or may not have been caused by that drug. A side effect, on the other hand, is caused by a drug, and this conclusion is based on evidence. WHO notes that its VigiBase provides evidence that can identify and communicate safety signals. Similar to FAERS, VigiBase reports adverse events for consideration, but it does not make conclusions.
The authors found that semaglutide was associated with certain adverse events more often. These included diabetic retinopathy and retinal/vitreous detachment, to name a few. These conditions can cause damage to the retina. When this occurs, it can include numerous symptoms and sometimes blurred vision.
From their analysis, the authors suggest that these events occurred because of the drug and possibly how it works in the body. But they also note that they could not conclude this with certainty without further studies of the drug. Such studies could help uncover the cause of some of these side effects. The cause could be the drug itself, conditions associated with diabetes, or something else.
2020 review of GLP-1 medications
The authors of a 2020 publication reviewed all adverse effects associated with certain GLP-1 medications, including semaglutide. (Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Ozempic.) From FAERS data, they found that people had adverse events affecting vision more often using Ozempic than other GLP-1 medications. This included blurred vision.
This doesn’t mean that these events were side effects of semaglutide. The data used in the review was not sufficient to determine whether Ozempic was the cause of these events. Determining this cause also requires further research.
Blurred vision may or may not be caused by the use of Ozempic. It could be related to hypoglycemia, other conditions related to diabetes, or something else. More research could help determine the cause.
If you have hypoglycemia during Ozempic treatment, it’s possible that once your blood sugar is stable, the blurred vision will clear. If it doesn’t clear or you have any other vision problems that become bothersome, talk with your doctor. They may recommend that you visit a vision specialist to help uncover the cause.
Before you start Ozempic, it’s important that you tell your doctor whether you take insulin or other medications.
Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.