Reports dating back to 2004 have suggested that the powerful antibiotic Avelox may cause serious vision problems.

Concerns about eye problems among users of Avelox and related drugs first surfaced more than 10 years ago. This included reports of blindness and vision problems, which have proven to be permanent in some cases. One issue is uveitis.

Uveitis is inflammation inside the eye. It has been reported that Avelox can cause this inflammation. When this inflammation is in the front of the eye, it is called anterior uveitis.

Anterior uveitis can cause damage to the iris, which helps focus the eye and controls how much light gets in. With damage to the iris, patients may experience blurred vision, pain in the eyes, and sensitivity to light.

In serious cases, it can cause permanent blindness. Additionally, uveitis in the back of the eye can damage the retina, the layer of light-sensitive cells in the eye that are critical for seeing. Uveitis leading to detached retinas has been reported in patients taking Avelox. Detached retinas can cause permanent blindness and, at a minimum, may require surgical intervention to correct the problem.

A study published in the 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that patients taking fluoroquinolones like Avelox had an increased risk of developing retinal detachment. Researchers used the medical records of more than a million people who sought medical care for their eyes.

Researchers found that patients taking fluoroquinolones like Avelox had almost five times the risk of developing retinal detachment than their peers. `

Avelox is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, a subtype of quinolone antibiotics. This family of antibiotics was the first fully-artificial family of antibiotics developed in the 1950s and 1960s. All previous antibiotics were made from bacteria, fungi, and other organisms, while quinolones, including their fluoroquinolone descendants, were built from scratch by medical researchers.

It was initially hoped that their synthetic nature would make drugs like Avelox immune to some of the problems that previous generations of antibiotics, like antibiotic resistance and some side effects. While Avelox and its relatives have not proven to be completely free of these issues, they have largely enjoyed a widespread reputation for safety and efficacy.