The widely used antibiotic azithromycin has been linked with several serious side effects, including eye injuries or even blindness.

A 2006 study indicated that azithromycin users are as many as four times more likely to suffer from recurring eye infection than those who do not take the antibiotic. In some cases, the eye injuries led to blindness.

Despite the severity of this azithromycin side effect, many patients are left not knowing about these risks.

Azithromycin Basics

Azithromycin, also known as Zithromax, Zmax, or Z-Pak, is manufactured and distributed by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., and is one of the most popular antibiotics currently available.

Zithromax Z-Pak is an antibiotic used across the U.S. to treat a variety of bacterial infections, ranging from ear infections to pneumonia. Zithromax dosage can last between three and five days. Zithromax was first approved for distribution by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1991.

Though azithromycin has garnered a reputation the ease and convenience with which patients can take it, some of the antibiotic’s users claim that azithromycin may in some cases actually cause more harm than good.

Azithromycin Eye Problems

One of the many infections this antibiotic is approved to treat is an eye infection known as trachoma. However, azithromycin may also increase a patient’s risk of a trachoma infection. While Zithromax may treat the infection, it also works too quickly to allow the immune system to build defenses against the infectious bacteria, leaving the patient vulnerable.

Trachoma is a serious eye infection that, in many cases, leads to blindness. According to the International Trachoma Initiative, millions of people have suffered from blindness or partial blindness due to trachoma.

Other Azithromycin Side Effects

Eye injuries are not the only side effect associated with Azithromycin.  The medication is also linked with Stevens Johnson Syndrome. SJS is a skin reaction that blisters and peels, allowing for infection, and can even be life-threatening.  Many people who survive SJS are left with permanent eye injuries – including scarring and blindness.

One of these eye injuries is Keratoconjunctivitis, inflammation that in some cases is very mild. In these instances, a patient may only notice irritation and dryness. However, in severe cases, there may be scarring, tissue damage, and blindness.

Azithromycin Lawsuits

Some azithromycin patients have claimed that the drug’s risks outweigh its benefits. Many users claim that they were not adequately warned of the severity of the antibiotic’s risks for eye injuries. Plaintiffs claim that, had they been adequately warned of the dangers like blindness associated with azithromycin, they would have chosen to take a different medication.

If you or someone you know has suffered from eye problems or even blindness after using azithromycin, you may be able to file an azithromycin lawsuit.