Viagra, a prescription drug created by Pfizer, was approved by the FDA in March of 1998. The primary purpose of this drug is to treat erectile dysfunction, or impotency, and allow men to respond naturally to sexual stimulation. More than 22 million men worldwide have used Viagra since its inception. An estimated 100 million adult males suffer from erectile dysfunction due to a variety of causes, including heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other health conditions.

In May 2005, the Food and Drug Administration publicly announced they were investigating fifty reports of serious vision side effects-including blindness-allegedly caused by Viagra use. A lawsuit was filed later that May against Pfizer on behalf of a man who developed a rare eye condition while using Viagra. Through this lawsuit, the plaintiff seeks compensation for his alleged Viagra injuries and seeks class-action status to allow other Viagra users who have been similarly injured to seek compensation for their losses and suffering.

Unfortunately, the same health conditions that cause erectile dysfunction are also factors that increase the risk of developing the vision problems suffered by some Viagra users. Of the fifty cases of vision problems reported to the FDA, many of the men also had one of these conditions. In most of these injury cases, the Viagra users have developed a condition called NAION, or nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy. NAION restricts the blood flow through the optic nerve to the eye, resulting in painless vision problems that can ultimately lead to partial or total permanent vision loss.

Pfizer representatives have announced that of the 103 Viagra clinical studies conducted on 13,000 participants, not a single case of NAION has been discovered. Critics of the Viagra-NAION connection state that fifty cases of NAION in Viagra users is to be expected, given the sheer population of Viagra users across the nation.

Other experts are much more critical of the notion that these cases of NAION in Viagra users are simply a product of probability or coincidence. Many injured Viagra users developed NAION and other harmful visual problems as soon as 45 minutes after taking Viagra. Visual problems also appear to worsen with the continuation of Viagra use. Doctors have long been urging the FDA and Pfizer to take the visual side effects caused by Viagra more seriously. The most common Viagra side effects include headaches, facial flushing, indigestion, sensitivity to light, and changes in the perception of green and blue colors. Viagra can cause a fatal drug reaction in patients who are currently receiving nitrate therapy.

The FDA is still investigating the link between Viagra use and serious visual side effects. Pfizer may be required to add a label warning that Viagra has been linked to reports of blindness and vision loss in at least one in every million users. The FDA has 38 reports of the blindness among users of Viagra. Pfizer has been in discussions with the FDA about adding a disclosure to Viagra's label to say that in rare cases men taking Viagra had developed blindness.

If you or a loved one has suffered visual or other side effects while taking Viagra, please contact us for a free case evaluation by a qualified Civil Justice Attorney.