Many men in New Jersey use Viagra and other sildenafil citrate pills to treat erectile dysfunction. The popular drug generates over $1 billion per year for Pfizer alone, not to mention the other companies that produce their own versions of the “blue pill.” However, the drug is not safe if used beyond the recommended dosage.
Vision disturbances
Temporary vision disturbances are a potential side effect of sildenafil citrate that scientists have known about for a long time. Recently, researchers started looking into long-term vision disturbances caused by large amounts of sildenafil citrate.
Most vision disturbances from Viagra resolve within a day, but they can last for much longer. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai researchers studied one man who experienced significant and possibly permanent damage to his eyes from Viagra. Researchers published their case study in the peer-reviewed journal, Retinal Cases and Brief Reports.
Seeing red in both eyes
According to the study, a 31-year-old man visited the emergency room after experiencing red-tinted vision in both of his eyes for two days. The vision disturbances had started after he took much more than the recommended dosage of sildenafil citrate. The man was still experiencing this red vision after one year.
Measurable retinal changes
Mount Sinai researchers used advanced imaging techniques to examine the man’s retina. Researchers found that the cones of the retina in the man’s eyes were visibly damaged. Cones are responsible for how the eyes perceive color, so the images were consistent with the man’s visual symptoms.
In the past, researchers were unable to identify actual structural damage in the eyes of patients with vision disturbances from sildenafil citrate. However, the new study used modern imaging techniques like adaptive optics and optical coherence tomography to get a closer look. Now, scientists have gotten a much clearer picture of what can happen to the eyes after taking too much sildenafil citrate.