Doctors prescribed Elmiron for decades before discovering that it was toxic to the retina. At first glance, the symptoms of Elmiron could easily be mistaken for age-related degeneration, making it difficult to link the damage to Elmiron use. Today, we know that Elmiron causes pigmentary maculopathy: a progressive, degenerative disease that leads to blindness. In 2019, a group of ophthalmologists (eye disease specialists) in California conducted a study where they examined the retinal tissue of patients who had used Elmiron long-term. The results showed that about 25% of the patients had signs of degenerating retinas. Despite all of this, Elmiron’s manufacturers do not list pigmentary maculopathy as a side effect.