A Maryland man claims that a popular weight-loss drug caused his total vision loss, leaving him legally blind.
uncertain
drug → claim → him
Todd Engel, 63, was first prescribed Ozempic in 2023 to help manage his diabetes.
asserted
Engel → prescribe → diabetes
The GLP-1 medication, which is approved to treat type 2 diabetes, is also commonly prescribed off-label for weight loss.
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which → approve → loss
Approximately four months after starting the medication, Engel was diagnosed with NAION (nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy).
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Engel → start → NAION
The condition, in which reduced blood flow damages the optic nerve, can cause sudden and permanent vision loss.
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flow → reduce → loss
"I first noticed it on New Year's Eve, 2024.
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I → notice → Eve
I had just gotten out of the shower, was getting ready to go to work.
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I → get → work
And I said to Shelley, ‘I can't see in my right eye.
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I → say → eye
It's totally dark in my right eye,’" Engel told Fox News Digital during an on-camera interview.
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Engel → tell → interview
I was very, very upset that I couldn't see."
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I → see → ?
Engel was referred for further testing, including at Johns Hopkins’ Wilmer Eye Institute.
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Engel → refer → Institute
He was told he had suffered an "eye stroke," another term used for NAION.
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he → tell → NAION
"The blood work came back in the normal range for me.
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work → come → me
They said, ‘You can go back to work,’" he said.
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he → say → work
"I didn't go blind — I had my vision taken from me, which was catastrophic to me and to my family."
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which → go → family
Engel continued taking Ozempic because, according to the family's account, neither he nor his doctors knew of a possible association between semaglutide and NAION.
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he → continue → semaglutide
About 10 months later, vision loss suddenly occurred in his left eye.
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loss → occur → eye
"At that point in time, losing sight in both eyes, there was a tremendous amount of concern," he said.
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he → lose → concern
Doctors told Engel there was no medication or surgical procedure that could restore his vision.
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that → tell → vision
Shelley Engel said that medical testing did not identify another common factor beyond Ozempic.
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testing → say → Ozempic
Her husband immediately stopped taking the drug after losing vision in his second eye.
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husband → stop → eye
"I didn't go blind — I had my vision taken from me, which was catastrophic to me and to my family," he said.
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he → go → family
Engel has filed a lawsuit against Novo Nordisk, the Denmark-based manufacturer of Ozempic, alleging that the company failed to adequately warn patients and doctors about the potential risk of vision loss.
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company → file → loss
He is among hundreds of patients currently pursuing legal action against makers of GLP-1 medications, including Ozempic and Wegovy, over claims that the drugs caused NAION.
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drugs → pursue → NAION
The lawsuits allege that manufacturers failed to provide sufficient warnings about the potential risks, although a causal relationship between the medications and the condition has not been definitively established.
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relationship → allege → medications
At the time of his vision loss, Engel was working for Howard County Highways as a heavy equipment operator and truck driver.
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Engel → work → operator
He had worked in the field for about 40 years and held a commercial driver's license for nearly as long.
"I was extremely mechanically inclined with my hands and in my mind.
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I → work → mind
I can't do that anymore, which is extremely upsetting to me," he said.
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he → do → me
"People want to be able to retire on their own accord when they want to, not when a medical catastrophic injury such as this ... takes away your livelihood."
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injury → want → livelihood
Beyond losing his career, Engel said even ordinary activities he once took for granted have become difficult.
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he → lose → career
An avid reader before his vision loss, Engel said he can no longer read newspapers, magazines or books.
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he → say → newspapers
Inside his home, he has learned to count steps to help navigate familiar spaces.
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he → learn → spaces
"I know that coming in from our parking lot, there are 10 steps ... nine going down into our basement, 13 going up into our bedroom."
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I → know → bedroom
Engel said he now uses a white cane to navigate outside his home and relies on his family for help with everyday activities.
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he → say → activities
His four grandchildren often guide him during family gatherings.
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grandchildren → guide → gatherings
"They will take me by my hand and talk to me: ‘Pops, three steps straight.
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They → take → me
Then we're gonna turn right,’" he said.
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he → go → ?
I shouldn't need ... my grandchildren or my wife to help me get from point A to point B."
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me → need → B.
His wife, Shelley Engel, said her husband's vision loss has affected the entire family.
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loss → say → family
"It has completely changed every aspect of our lives," she said.
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she → change → lives
…and 19 more, not listed.
The Aporia
