High doses of Viagra can cause severe damage to a person's colour vision
| Updated: Oct 4, 2018, 15:44 IST
We have come across a first-of-its-kind study suggesting that the popular erectile-dysfunction medication - Viagra - can cause severe damage to a person's colour vision. Researchers from Mount Sinai Health System in the US, based their study on a 31-year-old patient who arrived at a clinic complaining of red-tinted vision in both eyes. Apparently, the patient was suffering from this for two days before he came to the clinic.
He claimed that he started to experience this sort of vision after taking a dose of liquid sildenafil citrate, sold under the brand name Viagra. The patient was then diagnosed with persistent retinal toxicity linked to the high dose of medication damaging the outer retina. The researchers also identified microscopic injury to the cones of the retina, the cells which are responsible for colour vision. The same damage was experienced when they conducted the research using animal models.
"To actually see these types of structural changes was unexpected, but it explained the symptoms that the patient suffered from," said Richard Rosen, Director of Retina Services at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE). "While we know coloured vision disturbance is a well-described side effect of this medication, we have never been able to visualise the structural effect of the drug on the retina until now," said Rosen. "Our findings should help doctors become aware of potential cellular changes in patients who might use the drug excessively, so they can better educate patients about the risks of using too much," he said.
He claimed that he started to experience this sort of vision after taking a dose of liquid sildenafil citrate, sold under the brand name Viagra. The patient was then diagnosed with persistent retinal toxicity linked to the high dose of medication damaging the outer retina. The researchers also identified microscopic injury to the cones of the retina, the cells which are responsible for colour vision. The same damage was experienced when they conducted the research using animal models.
"To actually see these types of structural changes was unexpected, but it explained the symptoms that the patient suffered from," said Richard Rosen, Director of Retina Services at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE). "While we know coloured vision disturbance is a well-described side effect of this medication, we have never been able to visualise the structural effect of the drug on the retina until now," said Rosen. "Our findings should help doctors become aware of potential cellular changes in patients who might use the drug excessively, so they can better educate patients about the risks of using too much," he said.