VIAGRA POPPERS Another sign of our misplaced health-care priorities BY MARY ANN SORRENTINO

Okay, guys, it is official: researchers suggest a link, in rare instances, between blindness and such erectile dysfunction drugs as Viagra and Cialis.

There have not been any studies, at least that we know of, showing that ED drugs can cause hair to grow on your palms, but the blindness thing is serious enough. Drug manufacturers said in their initial trials that these drugs could cause vision problems. The potential problems are mentioned in the side effects handout you get from the druggist when you have the prescription filled.

In case you never bothered to read it, let’s point out a few more of the common side effects that can go with a little afternoon delight between bingo games at the nursing home. Pfizer Pharmaceutical (the company that makes Viagra) says common side effects may include flushing, headache, and abnormal vision (color tinge, blurring, sensitivity to light). According to some health-related Web sites, less common side effects can include a host of decidedly less pleasant symptoms. In sum, they cover just about every form of discomfort one might want to avoid.

Despite this, prescriptions for erectile dysfunction remedies are being filled at an astonishing rate around the globe, with some public health Web sites claiming that more than 500 Viagra tablets are taken every minute. That would represent more than 30,000 men an hour who are willing to throw themselves under the bus of potential complications — and even more if Cialis and Levitra are added.

Beyond this, we learned last week that the federal government, through state agencies, has been paying for ED drugs for convicted sex offenders. We already knew Medicare pays for elderly men to have their erectile dysfunction drugs covered. Apparently, we live in a society where ED is getting more public attention than some other more serious health issues.

One of those issues is contraception. Ironically, the same government that wants to help more men do it more often wants to cut back or eliminate women’s options for avoiding unintended pregnancies. Entitlement programs for birth control services, and even the educational programs teaching contraception are falling under the budget axe. United Nations global programs for contraceptive services are also opposed by the Bush administration, which endorses abstinence only. Maybe W ought to expand his abstinence initiatives for young people to include more old bucks.

As young people are being taught about other ways, beyond intercourse, to be close to the one they love, maybe that message needs to sink in with the older generations. At the very least, the often-younger women partners sought by older men ought to be entitled to some free birth control help of their own, here at home and around the globe.