–January 18, 2006
A small study suggests that men with a history of heart attack and/or high blood pressure are at an increased risk of suffering a vision-threatening condition called NAION upon taking Viagra or Cialis. Researchers found that patients with a history of these conditions were up to ten times more likely to develop serious eye complications while taking Viagra or Cialis, compared to otherwise healthy men. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, was published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology .
NAION (non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy), also known as ocular stroke, affects approximately 6,000 adults each year in the United States, making it one of the most common forms of optic nerve damage. This condition causes a sudden and irreversible loss of vision in one or both eyes.
This is not the first time that erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs Viagra and Cialis have been associated with this eye disease. In June 2005, the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology published a report documenting seven cases where men had experienced NAION within the first three days of taking Viagra. The next month, the FDA reported that at least 38 Viagra users and five users of other ED medications have developed NAION. CBS News reported that the number was much higher, and that over 8,000 ED drug patients have reported vision problems while taking Viagra or a similar medication.
In July 2005, the FDA issued a black box warning for all ED medications, disclosing the NAION risks associated with these medications. The ED drugs’ makers still insist there medications do not pose an increased risk of optic nerve damage and vision loss.
The authors of the most recent study recommend that doctors advise patients who are taking one of these medications about the increased risk of NAION, particularly in patients with a history of heart attack or high blood pressure.
For more information on the Viagra side effects, please contact us to confer with a Viagra lawyer and learn your legal rights and options.
