Don't overdo it!
An erection enhancement drug can irreversibly ruin vision
Anna Kerman, XX2 century
Doctors from the Mount Sinai Health System have discovered that color vision problems caused by damage to the retina at the cellular level can be caused by taking a high dose of sildenafil citrate. This drug is better known under the trade name "Viagra", and it is used to combat erectile dysfunction. The study showed that excessive use of this drug can lead to long-term vision problems and even, possibly, cause irreparable damage. The results are published in the autumn issue of the journal Retinal Cases (Yanoga et al., Sildenafil citrate induced retinal toxicity—electroretinogram, optical coherence tomography, and adaptive optics findings).
"People are guided by the philosophy of "a little is good, but a lot is even better." This study shows how dangerous a large dose of a widely used drug can be," says the head of the work, Dr. Richard Rosen, head of the department of retinal diseases from Mount Sinai. "People for whom color vision is really important should understand that abuse of this medicine can have long–term consequences."
The article was based on a clinical case. A 31-year–old man sought urgent help for a distortion of color perception - for two days both eyes had seen the world in a reddish hue. It turned out that the symptom appeared after taking liquid sildenafil – the drug was purchased in The Internet. Sildenafil in normal dosage can cause visual disturbances, but they usually go away within 24 hours. The patient informed the doctor that he had taken much more than the recommended 50 mg. The man was diagnosed with "persistent toxic damage to the retina." The "tinting" of vision did not disappear even a year after seeking medical help, despite the fact that doctors tried out various treatment options.
Researchers from Mount Sinai used the latest technology, which included the use of adaptive optics and optical coherence tomography. Using this technology, doctors examined the patient's retina in search of signs of structural disorders at the cellular level.
It turned out that the patient's retinal cones – the cells responsible for the perception of colors - were damaged. Experts observed something similar in experimental animals on which hereditary diseases of the retina were modeled, for example, pigmented dystrophy or cone-rod dystrophy.
"The discovery of structural changes of this kind was unexpected, but it explained the presence of symptoms that the patient was suffering from. Although we know that color perception disorders are a well–described side effect of this drug, we have never been able to visualize the structural effect of the drug on the retina," says Dr. Rosen. – Our findings should increase the alertness of doctors regarding potential cellular changes against the background of drug abuse. Doctors will be able to give patients more information about the risks associated with high doses."
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