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In May 2005, CBS News reported that federal health officials were investigating cases of blindness in men who used Viagra.  The investigation was sparked when an ophthalmology journal reported that seven patients suffered from ocular side effects within 36 hours of taking Viagra.  The FDA is currently reviewing 50 cases of vision loss, although a direct link to the drug has not been determined.

According to physicians, Viagra may affect blood circulation to the optic nerve, causing blindness, or a condition known as NAION.  NAION, or nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, is referred to as "stroke of the eye," and is the most common cause of blindness in men over the age of fifty.  NAION causes sudden and permanent vision loss, and occurs when blood flow to the optic nerve is blocked (Viagra dilates arteries to increase blood flow to the penis).  The drug's manufacturer, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, maintains that Viagra use does not increase a patient's risk of developing ocular diseases, and states that the risk factors for erectile dysfunction are the same factors that predispose an individual to ocular conditions like NAION.

Viagra skeptics, including many people who have suffered significant Viagra side effects, however, argue that Pfizer has underestimated Viagra risks and failed to warn consumers of potential side effects.  Such groups are fighting for the addition of a black box warning, the strongest warning a medication can receive, on the drug's label because of the severity of health risks involved.

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