A man suddenly went blind in one eye after taking Viagra – and doctors believe the erectile dysfunction drug may be to blame.
The 32-year-old from Iran took a record dose of sildenafil, the main ingredient in the little blue pill.
Almost immediately afterward, he lost sight in his right eye.
Despite efforts to restore his vision, the damage was too extensive and he has now lost all vision in that eye.
Tehran medics who reported on the unidentified man’s case in a diary said it was one of the strongest pieces of evidence that taking the drug can harm the eyes.
This scan shows the damage caused by blockage of blood vessels in the 32-year-old man’s right eye
Sildenafil fights impotence by increasing blood flow to the penis by relaxing blood vessels.
However, it is believed that under certain circumstances this effect could inadvertently damage other delicate vessels in the body, such as the vessels in the eyes.
In the most recent case, the man suffered sudden vision loss three hours after taking 100 mg of sildenafil.
This is the maximum dose of the drug and is twice as high as that recommended for most men taking it for erectile dysfunction.
After the man lost his eyesight, he went to the hospital and informed doctors that he had taken sildenafil.
Scans revealed the man, who had no other medical complaints, had suffered blood clots in both the artery and vein that carried blood to and from his right eye.
This caused his retina – the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the organ – to swell.
He also suffered from macular edema, a condition in which blood leaks into the retina.
Doctors at Farabi Eye Hospital said the pressure from this fluid buildup eventually caused the retina to physically separate from the rest of his eye.
Because of concerns at the time about the risk of blood clots from Covid vaccines and the virus itself, doctors asked him about any recent infections or vaccinations.
However, he was neither recently infected nor vaccinated.
Examinations also revealed that his left eye was undamaged.
Doctors also noted that there was no family history of blood clots that could explain the sudden damage to his eye, and that tests for undiagnosed conditions were negative.
The medics said that while eye and vision problems have been reported from taking sildenafil, the link between the two is “controversial”.
Iranian medics have speculated that the man’s sudden loss of vision in his right eye could be due to taking an erectile dysfunction drug (stock image)
“Several serious retinal vascular accidents have been reported following the use of sildenafil. b.”“But the exact role of this drug is not clear,” they wrote.
They added that their patient featured prominently in the medical literature discussing this connection due to the severity of the case and the fact that he had no other health problems that could explain the sudden eye problem.
“Since the patient was otherwise healthy and no risk factors for vascular disease were known… “And in addition to the close temporal association between sildenafil use and disease onset, we suspected that the drug may play a causal role in this clinical scenario,” they wrote.
However, they acknowledged that the exact mechanism by which sildenafil can damage the blood vessels in the eye is unknown.
One theory is that the drug’s intended effect of increasing blood flow to the penis may inadvertently cause damage to delicate blood vessels in the eye through the same mechanism.
However, the authors added that exactly how the drug interacts with the eye vessels is likely “complex.”
They called for further research into the possible link, particularly for younger men.
Share the story in Doctors did not reveal exactly when the incident occurred.
Earlier this year, Indian doctors reported a case in which a 41-year-old man died after suffering a stroke while taking a combination of impotence pills and alcohol.
Sildenafil is an over-the-counter medication in the UK, meaning it can be purchased without a prescription.
Sudden worsening or loss of vision is listed in drug package inserts as a possible rare side effect of sildenafil.
According to the NHS, serious side effects from taking sildenafil only occur in one in 1,000 people taking the drug.
However, it adds that anyone taking the medication and experiencing this side effect should stop taking it immediately and call your doctor or the NHS 111 number.
While the “little blue pill” is best known as an erectile dysfunction drug, it is also given to patients suffering from pulmonary hypertension, a condition in which blood pressure in the blood vessels that supply the lungs is dangerously high.