KARACHI: In Pakistan, Ozempic (semaglutide) has taken off over the last two years, but not as a medication prescribed for type 2 diabetes. It has exploded as a ridiculous fad weight loss injection that is labelled a “miracle.” Celebrities, influencers, and urban elites promoted its use, with the promise of quick sustainable loss and created an insatiable demand through pharmacies. What was once a slight shortcut for lifestyle change, the medical community is taking note of a catastrophic side effect, Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION), and sudden and irreversible blindness.
From Blood Sugar Regulation to Celebrity Trend
Ozempic is a GLP-1 drug that the body naturally produces to regulate blood sugar levels for diabetes patients, regulating appetite and insulin secretion. True, the result of reducing blood sugar levels and cardiovascular risks are its intended purpose, but it also has appetite suppression the main driver for many abuse and make it a highly sought-after drug for quick fat mass loss.
Thus, influencers, celebrities, and TV personalities endorsed the drug for weight loss, ignoring the medical risks.
Ozempic has become off-label use in Pakistan and it is widely underreported. In fact, we note many people, celebrities, social juón ratti mentioned their use publicly in conversation and pharmacies were exhausted of stock with little supply left for diabetes patients to fill their medications.
The Connection Between Ozempic and Blindness
Global research studies, including those published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, have recently highlighted a concerning association between Ozempic use and NAION. NAION is a rare, serious condition caused by decreased blood flow to the optic nerve resulting in sudden vision loss. Damages caused by NAION are frequently permanent, whereas other reversible drug effects don’t cause irreversible optic nerve injury leaving individuals with partial or total blindness.
Doctors are starting to see reports of similar cases of NAION in Pakistan. Pakistani ophthalmologists cautioned that people who are misusing Ozempic for weight loss – especially those who are using it without medical supervision – face an increased risk of vision-threatening complications. Individuals with previous medical histories of diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease (that have implications on the optic nerve) are especially vulnerable.
Why Pakistan Needs to Step Up
The rampant misuse of Ozempic in Pakistan is part of a larger cultural obsession of using a medical product to quickly fix an issue of cosmetic weight loss instead of having a meaningful conversation about addressing unhealthy lifestyles. Instead of doing the necessary work, we now have a medication that was never intended to be used for cosmetic weight loss in the mass market. As a result, not only do genuine diabetes patients have limited medications, but non-diabetic users also roll the dice with potentially life-altering side effects of their own.
Medical professionals agree that Pakistan’s response should be to immediately regulate, or ban, the sale of Ozempic without a prescription. A share of monitoring pharmacies or awareness campaign to educate people on the dangers involved with the use of Ozempic for weight loss for cosmetic reasons is urgently needed. After all, blindness is a poor price to pay to fix a cosmetic weight issue.
Conclusion
Ozempic may have been a breakthrough for diabetic care, but its reckless misuse in Pakistan has transformed it into a silent health crisis. With mounting evidence of its connection to NAION and irreversible blindness, the call for government intervention is louder than ever. It’s time to stop treating Ozempic as a lifestyle accessory and return it to its rightful place: a controlled drug for diabetes management—not a dangerous shortcut for weight loss.
