Elmiron Side Effects: Bladder Medication Vision Problems, Elmiron Eye Damage & Retinal Toxicity

Elmiron Side Effects: Vision problems

Elmiron, or pentosan polysulfate sodium, which is a medication designed to combat bladder conditions and has been used for several decades, could damage the patient’s retina, according to Science Daily.

Researchers now say that the medication is potentially toxic to the retina, which is the light-sensing tissue located in the rear of the eye. It is the retina that gives us vision. Ophthalmologists conducted a thorough review of patients in a Northern California medical facility and found that around 25 percent of all patients who took Elmiron sustained retinal damage.

Elmiron Side Effects on Eyes

• Blurry vision
• Difficulty reading
• Problems with dark adaptation
• Difficulty adjusting to dim lighting
• Glare
• Blind spots
• Night blindness
• Muted, less vivid colors
• Metamorphopsia
• Blindness

Elmiron Long-Term Side Effects

Elmiron can cause serious and permanent damage to the retina, which can result in blindness.

Video source: Elmiron side effects: Bladder medication vision problems?

Do You Have Elmiron-Related Questions?
Fill in the form below and Jerry will do his best to personally reply to your email!

Evaluating the Extent of Elmiron Eye Damage

The difficulty identifying the source of the problem, the researchers said, may be attributed to retinal damage stemming from the medication appearing similar to another severe vision problem, like macular degeneration or pattern-based dystrophy.

One million people in the United States, most of whom are women, suffer from a bladder condition known as interstitial cystitis. Interstitial cystitis causes the patient pain in the bladder and pelvic areas of the body. The sole treatment specifically approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to combat the problem is Elmiron.

Elmiron was approved by the FDA long ago and continues to be the only medication designed exclusively to treat interstitial cystitis. Therefore, it is highly probable that hundreds of thousands of patients in the U.S. could develop vision problems tied to diminished retinal function because of this medication.

The California research team looked for patients who used Elmiron for a long time and exhibited vision problems. The study showed that 22 out of 91 people had retinal problems tied to drug toxicity from taking Elmiron.

The longer people take Elmiron, the higher the chance they have of suffering from drug toxicity. In the sample of patients who consumed between 500 and 1,000 grams of Elmiron, 11 percent were found to have drug toxicity. The amount of people with drug toxicity shot up to 42 percent if the patient consumed 1,500 grams or more of Elmiron in their lives. The resulting retinal problems could ultimately cause blindness.

Eye doctors believe that the problems could be reversed if the patient could stop taking Elmiron. However, the ophthalmologists suggest that patients speak with their physicians before stopping any medication.

Elmiron Medication FAQ

Don’t Delay: File Your Defective Drug Injury Claim Against the Makers of Elmiron

If Elmiron has harmed you or a member of your family and you are interested in filing a lawsuit to recover monetary compensation, contact Parker Waichman by calling 1-800-YOUR-LAWYER (1-800-968-7529) for a free case review today.

For more information on Elmiron lawsuits check out:

• Elmiron lawsuit criteria
• Elmiron class action lawsuit
• Elmiron blindness risk
• Elmiron recall
• Elmiron makers
• Elmiron-associated maculopathy
• Elmiron lawsuit settlement amount
• Elmiron timeline