Sold under names such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, it has become one of the most talked about medicines of the decade, prescribed to help manage type 2 diabetes and, increasingly, for weight loss. In February 2026, the UK's medicines regulator added a new warning to that conversation, one that will matter to many people connected to The Partially Sighted Society. Semaglutide has been linked, in very rare cases, to a serious eye condition called non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy, known for short as NAION.
Before anything else, it is worth saying plainly: this is not a reason to panic, and nobody should stop taking a prescribed medicine on the strength of a headline. But it is a condition worth understanding, because catching it early can matter enormously.