<< EyeDrMike, Come on, now!! Are you going to tell me that, as an obvious VVUS investor, your unusually strong concern regarding Viagra and its use does not stem primarily from the fact that PFE is eating VVUS's lunch in the ED arena???>>
That's exactly what i'm telling you. I own and trade plenty of stocks. If VVUS went to zero, it wouldn't effect my life or cause me to become penniless.
Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in this country. And the treatments available are limited, and the prognosis for many is blindness. Not the best way to spend one's declining years. Any drug that can possible cause or exacerbate retinal problems in patients i see, i a very big concern for me as a doctor. IMO, Viagra has NOT gone through enough ocular testing to be on the market. Period.
I'll share a personal experience.
I had a patient few years back who came in for a "routine" eye exam. Happened to come into my office Xmas eve day. Walked in with his 3 young daughters, all adorable. Happy family with the happy holiday mood.
The father was in his late 30's as i recall. I believe he worked on an assembly line in an auto factory. Complained of recent decrease in his distant vision, esp at night.
Diagnosis: retinitis pigmentosa.
RP, reitinitis pigmentosa, is a retinal disease which affects vision, especially at night, and attacks the peripheral visual field on a progressive basis.
This particular patient had less then 10 degrees of his field left. Imagine looking through the cardboard tube found inside a roll of paper towels. His visual field was less then that.
Explaining his disease, and the prognosis on Xmas eve day was not one of the highlights of my career. A young man, with three daughters, who depended on his sight to support his family, and would become blind in a relatively short time. (Legally, because of the visual field, he already meets the definition of legal blindness)
And I can tell you that any drug that can possibly cause or exacerbate conditions such as these, should be evaluated thoroughly before being permitted on the market.
fwiw,
Mike |
