US probes Viagra 'blindness risk'

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2005-05-28 05:49am

US health officials are examining reports of varying degrees of blindness among a small number of men using the anti-impotence drug Viagra.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified 50 cases of the condition, which can occur in men with heart disease or diabetes.

The FDA says it has as yet found no evidence that Viagra is to blame for the condition.

More than 20 million men worldwide have used the drug since its launch in 1998.

A spokesman for Pfizer, the makers of the drug, said the company was considering changing its warning on the drug label.

"We are in discussions with the FDA to update our language to reflect these rare ocular events that have occurred," said Daniel Watts.

He said that men who took Viagra often already had those types of diseases that could cause blindness.

Simple test

There have been no reports of the condition among 13,000 people tested in clinical trials for the drug.

The condition, known as nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), causes a rapid reduction of vision and can, in the most serious cases, lead to blindness.

Dr Howard Pomeranz, co-author of a report on the condition published in the Journal of Neuro-ophthalmology in April, said the drug had long been linked to sight problems.

Viagra was known to cause temporary colour changes in some men's vision, he said, but NAION was a much more serious condition.

Dr Pomeranz said the problem may have been underreported as most people would not think to mention to their ophthalmologist that they were taking the drug.

"When patients see their ophthalmologist at the time they are examined for loss of vision how many of them would think to bring up the fact that they are using a drug like this to an eye doctor?"

He said men could avoid the condition by undergoing a simple screening test.

Dr June Raine, of the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said it had only received six reports of adverse reactions to Viagra resulting in blindness, including four of optic neuropathy.

In contrast, about 900,000 patients had been prescribed Viagra in the UK.

Dr Raine said the issue had been kept under review by European regulators, but as yet there was no firm evidence that Viagra caused eye problems.

"Anyone who has concerns about their eyesight should speak to their doctor.

"The best advice is always to make sure that Viagra is prescribed under a doctor's care and supervision.

"Patients are very unwise to get their supplies over the internet."

Beeb

Post by **Broomstick** » 2005-05-28 07:32am

Note the innuendo at the end, implying that these cases were the result of crappy drugs from off the internet. I mean, legit drugs couldn't possibly have a side effect like that, right?

Uh, yeah, they could.

Thing is - the men with most reason to use Viagra or Cialis (which was also implicated) are also men with health problems already and serious health risks.

By the way - Levitra did not have appear to have this side effect. So if you need hard-on help and want to be as protective of your vision as possible you might want to go with that one.

In any case - nothing conclusive at this point. More study required.

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2005-05-28 07:36am

Broomstick wrote:Note the innuendo at the end, implying that these cases were the result of crappy drugs from off the internet. I mean, legit drugs couldn't possibly have a side effect like that, right?

Uh, yeah, they could.

I think the idea is more, dont just get some off the net, talk to a doctor at least if you read it along with the preceeding sentence, notice it's a single quote.

Thing is - the men with most reason to use Viagra or Cialis (which was also implicated) are also men with health problems already and serious health risks.

By the way - Levitra did not have appear to have this side effect. So if you need hard-on help and want to be as protective of your vision as possible you might want to go with that one.

In any case - nothing conclusive at this point. More study required.

Indeed.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2005-05-28 10:40am

You know I really don't see the problem with this. When you and your partner are that old you probably wanna do it with the lights off anyway. What would you need your vision for?

Guy N. Cognito · Post by **Guy N. Cognito** » 2005-05-28 10:42am

Crap! I can't see! Have I taken any drugs recently? Aspirin, and uhhh.... ya, that's it. I wonder if I looked into the sun too long or I ate something bad? Surely some one would have pointed out that they were taking viagra.

Molyneux · Post by **Molyneux** » 2005-05-28 02:04pm

Well, they always told you you'd go blind...

Eleas · Post by **Eleas** » 2005-05-28 02:07pm

Molyneux wrote:Well, they always told you you'd go blind...

Fuck! You beat me to it!

*bludgeons Molyneux to death with a broken-off adverb*

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2005-05-28 02:36pm

Off topic, but I wonder if anyone has ever overdosed on Viagra, causing so much blood to flow to the pride and joy that it exploded?

aerius · Post by **aerius** » 2005-05-28 02:39pm

Molyneux wrote:Well, they always told you you'd go blind...

That's masturbation, not sex.

Though I don't doubt that some people masturbate on Viagra.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2005-05-28 02:57pm

It seems likely to me that impotent men are likely to have vascular problems, and any diabetic could tell you that vascular problems can also cause eye damage.

Junghalli · Post by **Junghalli** » 2005-05-28 03:01pm

Jesus, it must be kind of humiliating to have to go to your doctor to get your sudden blindness checked out... and show up with a Viagra-induced giant boner.

tharkûn · Post by **tharkûn** » 2005-05-28 03:06pm

Note the innuendo at the end, implying that these cases were the result of crappy drugs from off the internet. I mean, legit drugs couldn't possibly have a side effect like that, right?

Sure but the numbers are sufficiently small that a single bad case could be the cause. Internet drugs have zilch for quality control so even if it were completely unrelated it bears repeating.

I don't see a readily apparant pharmacological cause for blindness, but then if I did I'd have expected Viagra to have failed in clinical trials. I suspect this is not a general sideeffect, but more study is a definate must just in case.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2005-05-28 06:33pm

Broomstick wrote:By the way - Levitra did not have appear to have this side effect. So if you need hard-on help and want to be as protective of your vision as possible you might want to go with that one.

Actually, I saw it on the news. There was one case of blindness for Levitra.

Drunk Monkey · Post by **Drunk Monkey** » 2005-05-28 09:54pm

Wicked Pilot wrote:You know I really don't see the problem with this. When you and your partner are that old you probably wanna do it with the lights off anyway. What would you need your vision for?

To see the porno. By that age the wife is probably going to look like Palps the Viagra may turn you on but the porn will keep it on.

aerius · Post by **aerius** » 2005-05-28 10:22pm

Wicked Pilot wrote:You know I really don't see the problem with this. When you and your partner are that old you probably wanna do it with the lights off anyway. What would you need your vision for?

Not everyone's a Mick Jagger who keeps going and going and going, the guy's old enough to be my grandfather and he still gets laid more than me. Most guys slow down a fair bit earlier than that.

SyntaxVorlon · Post by **SyntaxVorlon** » 2005-05-29 02:06am

And thousands of older men and women declared that they don't fucking care.