Engel’s story lands hard because it mixes a common diabetes treatment, a devastating eye diagnosis and a family fighting through a life that changed overnight. He says he lost his vision after taking Ozempic, was diagnosed with NAION, and now lives with the kind of limits most people never think about until they face them. The case has also pushed a bigger debate into the open about warning labels, drug safety and how much patients are told before starting treatment.
A Maryland man is claiming that Ozempic cost him his sight, leaving him legally blind after what began as routine diabetes care. Todd Engel, 63, says he started the GLP-1 medication in 2023 and then received a diagnosis of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy roughly four months later. NAION happens when reduced blood flow damages the optic nerve, and it can lead to sudden, permanent vision loss.
Engel says the first shock came on New Year’s Eve, 2024, when he stepped out of the shower and realized his right eye had gone completely dark. “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,’” he told Fox News Digital during an on-camera interview.
He says the reaction was immediate fear, followed by tests and referrals, including evaluation at Johns Hopkins’ Wilmer Eye Institute. There he was told he had suffered an “eye stroke,” another term often used for NAION, and that his blood work and blood pressure did not point to a simple explanation. The worst part, he says, was hearing that nothing could bring the vision back.
“I didn’t go blind — I had my vision taken from me, which was catastrophic to me and to my family,” Engel said. That loss only deepened when his left eye was affected about 10 months later, turning a serious problem into a total one. At that point, he said, the family knew the damage had gone far beyond a temporary setback.
Engel says he kept taking Ozempic because no one had warned him about a possible link between semaglutide and NAION. His wife, Shelley, said testing did not uncover another obvious cause, and he stopped the drug after losing sight in the second eye. By then, though, the damage was already done.
Before the vision loss, Engel worked for Howard County Highways as a heavy equipment operator and truck driver, a job he had done for about 40 years. He also held a commercial driver’s license for nearly as long, which made the change even more brutal. “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,” he said.
Daily life now looks completely different. Engel says he can no longer read newspapers, magazines or books, and he counts steps inside his home to stay oriented in familiar spaces. Outside, he uses a white cane and depends on family members, including his grandchildren, to guide him through routine moments that used to be effortless.
His wife says the impact has gone well beyond one person’s medical problem. “It has completely changed every aspect of our lives,” she said. “There is not one piece of our lives that hasn’t changed or been touched by this throughout our whole family.” Engel says one of the hardest losses is simple human connection, including not being able to see his wife’s face or watch his grandchildren play ball.
He is now suing Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic, arguing the company did not do enough to warn patients and doctors about the possible risk. His case is part of a broader wave of lawsuits from people who say GLP-1 drugs caused NAION, even as the medication maker says the science does not prove a causal link. The company says its trials did not show an increased incidence of NAION and that it continues to monitor the issue through routine safety checks.
For Engel, the message is personal and blunt. “Had I known, had my doctor had any inkling that this could have happened … I’m sure he would have asked me and I would have said absolutely not,” he said. “I will deal with the diabetes … I refuse to jeopardize my eyes.” He and Shelley say speaking out is their way of warning others before they make the same choice without hearing the full risk.
