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Printable handouts
One-page guides to print, save, or bring to your next appointment
Same-day care
Sudden vision loss in one eye needs same-day care.
Call an eye doctor or go to the emergency department.
Call the office 570-453-2020Find an eye doctor 5 officesSchedule an exam Pick your office
Each handout is a one-page PDF. Print it, save it to your phone, or bring it to your eye doctor, primary care doctor, or the clinician who prescribes your medicines.
The handouts
- GLP-1 medicines and your eyes (PDF) — the FDA label change, what NAION looks like, eye exam timing, Dr. Deom’s recommendation, and his personal clinical thought on blood pressure.
- Sudden vision loss: warning signs (PDF) — which symptoms need same-day care, the emergency department, or 911, and what to say when you call.
- Your eye imaging visit (PDF) — what happens with dilation, OCT, OCT angiography, and retinal photos, and why follow-up scans matter.
- Blood pressure, weight, and sleep apnea checklist (PDF) — a fill-in checklist to bring to your doctor, including home blood pressure readings, waist size, and STOP-Bang sleep apnea questions.
Each handout lists our office phone and fax and links back to this site. For more detail, see GLP-1 medicines and your eyes, Warning signs and FAQ, Eye imaging explained, and Risk factors.
Dr. Deom’s recommendation (clinical opinion / practice recommendation)
Dr. James Deom recommends that everyone starting or taking a GLP-1 medication have a comprehensive dilated eye exam with OCT, OCT angiography (OCTA), and retinal photography (fundus photos with autofluorescence) as a baseline and for follow-up, and seek same-day care for sudden vision loss.
This is his clinical opinion, not a formal rule from every professional group. AAO and NANOS do not recommend an eye exam only to predict NAION, and no test can reliably predict or prevent it. Dr. Deom recommends the baseline so there is a record to compare against if anything changes, and so other eye problems can be found early.
Dr. James Deom’s personal clinical thought
This is his opinion, not established evidence. It is not a finding from the studies or a position of the FDA, EMA, AAO, NANOS, or AOA.
As people lose weight and get healthier on GLP-1 medicines, their blood pressure and cholesterol medicines are often not reviewed or adjusted. Blood pressure treatment that is no longer matched to a person’s needs may lead to low blood pressure (hypotension). Low blood pressure can be more pronounced at night and could reduce blood flow to the optic nerve during sleep. That possibility would fit the typical way NAION presents: vision loss noticed on waking.
Dr. Deom recommends that people taking a GLP-1 medicine also work on exercise and diet, and keep regular visits with their usual doctors — even if that doctor did not prescribe the GLP-1 — so the rest of their care, including blood pressure, is maintained. Do not start, stop, or change a blood pressure or cholesterol medicine on your own; talk with the clinician who prescribes it.
How to reach us
Hazleton Eye Specialists: phone 570-453-2020, fax 570-453-1020. Addresses for all five offices (Hazleton, Stroudsburg, Nanticoke, Pottsville, and Bangor) are on Find an Eye Doctor.
Sudden vision loss needs same-day care. Call an eye doctor right away. If you also have a new headache, jaw pain when chewing, scalp tenderness, fever, or you are over 50 and feel unwell, go to the emergency department.
Medical disclaimer. This page is for general education only. It is not medical advice and does not replace an examination or a conversation with your own doctors. Do not start, stop, or change any medicine without talking to the clinician who prescribes it. If you have sudden vision loss, seek same-day care from an eye doctor or an emergency department. Information is current as of the “last reviewed” date and may change as new research is published.