Does viagra really cause blindness? Viagra is marketed as well as manufactured by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and is considered to be one of the renowned drugs that helps in curing erectile dysfunction in male. On 27th May 2005, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) of the United States confirmed that it was experimenting a prospective relationship between the usage of Viagra and a kind of blindness in male taking this drug. Experts are of the opinion that taking viagra may lead to non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy or NAION which in turn leads to permanent blindness in some males. But, it should also be mentioned that according to new studies an increasing number of people with NAION are recovering without any form of treatment. Though FDA official are still looking for a probable link between viagra a and NAION or vision loss, yet is not yet clear whether this drug in reality leads to blindness or whether it’s a root cause of impotency or not. According to a FDA official, an official statement has nit yet been put forward and they are still looking into this matter. But till date, there isn’t any foolproof evident that Viagra leads to blindness in men. In recent times, it is estimated that nearly 23 million or more of the male population are taking viagra. Another thing that that needs to be taken into consideration is the NAION is likely to take place in men with heart disease or diabetes. Ina addition to this, people with diabetes or having heart problems run at a higher risk of being impotent and hence may need to opt for this medication. Dr. Howard Pomeranz, MD, and an eye specialist at the University of Minnesota was the first to draw a link between NAION and Viagra. In the year 2000, he stated about a specific case history about a man who was diagnosed with NAION soon after taking Viagra. In another study published by Dr. Pomeranz in the Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology, he mentioned seven case histories of men suffering from NAION, probably after taking Viagra. Now what does NAION exactly refer to? Well, in simple words, NAION is one amongst the commonest causes that leads to sudden or expected vision loss in elderly Americans. It causes inflammation surrounding the optic disc, in the position where the optic nerves touches the eye’s back. This inflammation tightens the optic nerve thereby causing a sudden vision loss. As per the National Eye Institute, nearly 6,000 individuals develop NAION per year. The symptoms related to NAION are generally painless and unexpectedly. Researchers opine that nearly three fourth of the people having NAION first noticed that their vision turned impaired or blurry after they get up in the morning. This condition usually starts from one eye and then affects both the eyes, thereby leading to complete blindness. People with poor eyesight generally run at a higher risk of developing NAION. However high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension patients are no exception. The topic pertaining to the exact causes behind NAION is highly debatable. Well, the real question, which comes to, our mind, is that “Is there any potential hazard after taking Viagra?” Well, at this moment deriving at a conclusion is next to impossible. According to Pfizer, a review was conducted after taking into consideration 103 viagra clinical trials and more than 13,000 patients. However, no foolproof evidence non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy or NAION was found. The pharmaceutical manufacturer also published a press release stating that it did not find any association mentioning that NAION took place more frequently in men who take Viagra, than men of same health and age group who didn’t take this drug. Though a further research is still waited, yet is recommended by doctor that people should take this medicine with utmost care. The fact that viagra may lead to vision problems must have been clear by this time, though they are occur on rare occasions and generally disappear after a couple of hours. Viagra generally leads to temporary alterations in color visions like finding trouble in differentiating between a green and a blue object and much alike. After taking viagra, you eyes develop a greater sensitivity towards sunlight, thereby leading to blurred vision. | 