A man now has a permanent red tint to his vision after taking too much erectile dysfunction medication.
The 31-year-old unidentified male’s bizarre story, detailed in September’s Retinal Cases and Brief Reports, began after he purchased a liquid form of sildenafil citrate, commonly sold as Viagra, online.
Turns out he drank way more than the recommended 50mg dose and began to see a red tint and flashes of light. Past studies have found that the substance can cause side effects like blurred vision and increased light sensitivity. And while the flashes went away the next day, his red vision persisted.
After two days, the report said, he went to seek treatment at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary urgent care clinic.
Doctors examined the patient’s eyes and found the drug had permanently damaged the cells in his retina that control color processing and diagnosed him with retinal toxicity.
His red-tinted symptoms still haven’t gone away after a year, according to the medical journal, despite being given steroid medications to treat his eye injuries.
Lead investigator Richard Rosen, MD, also noted the patient may have consumed unknown contaminants because he purchased the drug online without a prescription. While previous studies have found that overdosing on sildenafil citrate can lead to temporary changes in vision, this is the first case where the drug has caused permanent eye damage.
“People live by the philosophy that if a little bit is good, a lot is better,” Rosen, director of retina services at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, wrote in a statement. “This study shows how dangerous a large dose of a commonly used medication can be. People who depend on colored vision for their livelihood need to realize there could be a long-lasting impact of overindulging on this drug.”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...rectile-dysfunction-drugs-now-seeing-red/amp/
The 31-year-old unidentified male’s bizarre story, detailed in September’s Retinal Cases and Brief Reports, began after he purchased a liquid form of sildenafil citrate, commonly sold as Viagra, online.
Turns out he drank way more than the recommended 50mg dose and began to see a red tint and flashes of light. Past studies have found that the substance can cause side effects like blurred vision and increased light sensitivity. And while the flashes went away the next day, his red vision persisted.
After two days, the report said, he went to seek treatment at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary urgent care clinic.
Doctors examined the patient’s eyes and found the drug had permanently damaged the cells in his retina that control color processing and diagnosed him with retinal toxicity.
His red-tinted symptoms still haven’t gone away after a year, according to the medical journal, despite being given steroid medications to treat his eye injuries.
Lead investigator Richard Rosen, MD, also noted the patient may have consumed unknown contaminants because he purchased the drug online without a prescription. While previous studies have found that overdosing on sildenafil citrate can lead to temporary changes in vision, this is the first case where the drug has caused permanent eye damage.
“People live by the philosophy that if a little bit is good, a lot is better,” Rosen, director of retina services at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, wrote in a statement. “This study shows how dangerous a large dose of a commonly used medication can be. People who depend on colored vision for their livelihood need to realize there could be a long-lasting impact of overindulging on this drug.”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...rectile-dysfunction-drugs-now-seeing-red/amp/
