Possibility of Blindness Caused by Taking Actos

On Behalf of | Jun 29, 2012 | Defective Drugs |

Actos is an extremely popular drug used in the treatment of diabetes. But as Anahad O’Connor reports for the New York Times, the largest study of its kind regarding loss of vision indicates that both Actos and Avandia can cause retina swelling.

In turn, retina swelling can cause vision loss or even blindness.

The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and concerned more than 100,000 people with Type 2 diabetes. The study went on for 10 years – and 1.3 percent of the study participants were found to have retina swelling.

Those who used Actos and insulin together were at even greater risk, though O’Connor’s report does not indicate how much greater.

Now, 1.3 percent out of 100,000 is only 1,300 people found to have retina swelling, which O’Connor writes is a “relatively small” figure. But that’s still more than 1,000 people with vision problems associated with Actos and Avandia.

One of the authors of the study suggested getting regular vision check-ups.

To be fair, the study also seems to suggest that the 1.3 percent of participants had greater severity of diabetes, given that Actos and Avandia tend to be prescribed as “second-line agents,” so these people may have already been prone to retina swelling.

Either way, if you’re a diabetes patient on either Actos or Avandia, it makes sense to be aware of the potential adverse side effects and be vigilant about your eye health.

SourceDiabetes Drugs Carry Vision Risks