Azithromycin, a popular antibiotic drug used for both adults and children, has been connected with several serious medication side effects, including blindness.

Azithromycin, brand name Zithromax, was approved by the FDA in 1991 to treat a variety of bacterial infections. It has become a common alternative for children who are allergic to penicillin. Azithromycin has not yet been approved to treat children under the age of six months.

Just like any other drug, azithromycin has medication side effects. In most cases, these side effects are mild and relatively harmless for children.

For example, a common reaction to azithromycin is a mild skin rash, and usually goes away on its own without any further damage. Children also commonly experience mild cases of diarrhea and vomiting.

While most people who take azithromycin do not experience major effects, reports indicate that some children may experience a much more serious reaction to azithromycin than others. Some children who have taken azithromycin have reportedly experienced loss of eyesight or even blindness.

According to a 2006 study, azithromycin users may be up to four times more likely to suffer from eye infection side effects than those who do not take the drug. In some of these cases, the eye infection problems became more serious and ultimately led to blindness.

Although eye injury and permanent blindness are extremely serious side effects, many patients who take azithromycin do not know about this risk prior to using the drug.

While azithromycin has been approved to treat an eye infection known as trachoma, the drug may also decrease the patient’s defenses against infection bacteria, which inversely increases a patient’s risk of developing a trachoma infection.

Trachoma eye injury is a serious eye infection, and according to the International Trachoma Initiative, millions of patients have suffered from either partial blindness or complete blindness because of a trachoma infection.

Azithromycin is also linked with a rare but potentially deadly skin condition called Stevens Johnson Syndrome. While Stevens Johnson Syndrome generally manifests as an extremely dangerous skin rash, SJS symptoms may also cause eye infections and other eye injuries.

When SJS affects a patient’s eyes, it may result in impaired vision or even blindness in some extreme cases. One of these eye problems is Keratoconjunctivitis, an inflammatory problem that is usually fairly mild, causing only irritation and dryness. In other cases, this condition is more severe, and may cause scarring, tissue damage, or even blindness.

Azithromycin Lawsuits

Even though azithromycin has developed a positive reputation since its release in 1991, and is a popular antibiotic choice across the country, some users who have experienced its more serious side effects—or parents of children who have suffered—say that the drug may cause more harm than good.

Parents of children affected by azithromycin side effects claim that they were not adequately warned about the antibiotic’s potentially severe risks, including blindness, eye injuries, and Stevens Johnson Syndrome. Had they known of these risks, plaintiffs allege, they would have chosen a safer alternative for their children to avoid these serious, permanent, or even fatal complications.

If your child has suffered from eye injuries or even blindness after using azithromycin, you may be able to file an azithromycin lawsuit.