FDA eyes blindness as Viagra side effectMay 24, 2005 BY KATHLEEN KERRSTAFF WRITERMay 28, 2005The Food and Drug Administration is investigating 43 reports of sudden partial blindness in men who used three impotence drugs -- Viagra, Cialis and Levitra.However, the FDA said it is not clear whether the drugs played a role since conditions that lead to the erectile problem can themselves cause vision loss.The vision loss -- nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy or NAION -- is essentially a stroke of the eye. NAION can occur in patients with diabetes or heart disease, conditions that can lead to impotence.In the past, some men have experienced a blue haze after using the drugs, but that side effect is not what occurred in the 43 men. And manufacturers caution men with heart problems or those who take other drugs containing nitrates not to use the impotence pills because the combination could cause a fatal blood pressure drop.A March article in the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology by Dr. Howard Pomeranz of the University of Minnesota Medical School reported seven men, ages 50 to 69, had NAION symptoms within 36 hours of using Viagra. Six reported vision loss within 24 hours; one had vision loss in both eyes. All had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or hyperlipidemia.The FDA is in discussions with Pfizer Inc., which makes Viagra; Eli Lilly & Co., which makes Cialis; and GlaxoSmithKline, which sells Levitra in the United States, about possible labeling changes to make the public aware of the blindness problem.
