A new report commission by the makers of erectile dysfunction medications to calm fears about the reported side effects of common impotence medications has shown that neither Viagra nor Cialis is damaging to the sight. U.S researchers have reported that after six months, healthy men taking one of the two drugs reported no significant vision problems.

The study examined 244 healthy men who had no previous problems with their sight but were experiencing erectile dysfunction. The trial was randomised and designed to find any changes in the retina amongst those taking the medications. 85 took 5 milligrams of Cialis, 77 took 50 milligrams of Viagra, Pfizer’s medication, and 82 were given a placebo. Tests were carried out on their eyes comprehensively, including visual function tests, measurements of pressure and electroretinography, the measurement of electrical responses in the eyes cells.

The scientists acknowledged that their study was limited due the low doses taken by the men, compared with the doses used in some other studies tracking retinal changes. They also warned that as men with existing eye problems were excluded from the study, the results were not applicable to this group.

The market for erectile dysfunction medications is a massive source of money for pharmaceutical companies, with combined sales of the two most popular medications, Cialis online Canada and Viagra, making more than $1 billion globally. Some men prefer to buy Cialis as the effects last longer, but many continue to buy Viagra on the basis of its immediately recognisable brand name. Sales of Levitra, Bayer’s version of the drug, are also considerable though this medication was excluded from the study. Reports of side-effects seriously unnerved the three manufacturers, hence Eli Liley funded the study to discover whether their medication could indeed damage sight.

The reports were also alarming as they heightened the stigma already existing around erectile dysfunction, conjuring up memories of the stories of counterfeit E.D medications being sold over the internet, with the potential to seriously harm men’s health. While there are legal online clinics selling medications with a doctor’s prescription, counterfeit drugs abound. It is therefore in the pharmaceutical industry’s interest to behave as correctly as possible; quickly initiating a clinical trial is an excellent way to allay fears.

However as a relatively small number of men took part and they received a low dose of the treatment, it is to be hoped that more extensive trials will now be initiated. Nonetheless, rumours of side effects are unlikely to put off the millions of men who have had their lives dramatically altered by the advent of treatment for erectile dysfunction.