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CTV.ca News Staff
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is checking reports of blindness among some men using the impotence drug Viagra.
The FDA said it has about 50 reports of a type of blindness called NAION, or non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.
It typically affects men who suffer from diabetes or have heart disease -- the same conditions that can cause impotence.
Pfizer spokesman Daniel Watts said the company is in talks with U.S. regulators to change the label on Viagra to reflect "these rare ocular events." However, he said there is no proof Viagra caused the blindness.
On Pfizer's website, the company says side effects are usually mild and don't last longer than a few hours. They are listed as headache, facial flushing, and upset stomach.
"VIAGRA may also briefly cause bluish or blurred vision or sensitivity to light," the website says.
It also warns that anyone experience erections lasting longer than four hours seek medical attention.
The blue diamond-shaped pill is taken by more than 23 million men worldwide in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. It was approved for use by the U.S. government in 1998.
Men with heart conditions or patients taking drugs that contain nitrates have been warned by doctors not to take Viagra because of sudden, unsafe drops in blood pressure.
Viagra was in the news earlier this week over reports that convicted rapists and other high-risk sex offenders were able to get the drug at the expense of taxpayers.
U.S. legislators have already moved to eliminate federal payments for Viagra and other drugs that treat impotence.
With files from The Associated Press