A man took so many drugs for erectile dysfunction that his vision was permanently tinged with red

A 31-year-old man developed a permanent red tint at his vision after overdosing with a common medication against erectile dysfunction, according to a case study published in the newspaper Retina case.

Researchers from the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE) reported that the man had gone to an emergency care clinic complaining of having had a tinge red in both eyes and the presence of multicolored flashes of light perceived for two days.

He added that his symptoms had started shortly after taking a dose of liquid sildenafil citrate, often sold under the brand name Viagra, that he had purchased on the Internet.

It is known that the substance sometimes causes minor visual disturbances, such as blurred vision or increased sensitivity to light, although they usually disappear within a day. However, in this case, the patient had ingested much more than the recommended dose of 50 mg.

The doctors diagnosed him with persistent retinal toxicity, concluding that the overdose had damaged the retina. This thin layer of nerve tissue covers the back of the eyeball inside and receives focused light from the lens, which it then converts into electrical signals that are sent to the brain to be transformed into visual images . The patient's tinted vision has persisted for more than a year since his initial diagnosis, despite various treatments.

The latest case report is the first study to show that color vision problems caused by retinal lesions can result from a high dose of sildenafil citrate and that excessive use of the drug can lead to problems long-term vision, possibly irreversible.

"People adhere to the following philosophy: if a little bit is good, well, it's better," said Richard Rosen, principal author of the study and director of retinal services at NYEE, in a statement. . People whose livelihoods depend on color vision should be aware that the abuse of this drug could have a long-term impact. "

The researchers came to their conclusions after examining the human retina for signs of structural damage at the cellular level, using advanced technologies, such as adaptive optics ( AO) and Optimally Coherent Tomography (OCT) – in what is a prime world.

Stock image of drugs against erectile dysfunction. iStock

The OA allows clinicians to examine in real time the microscopic structures of the eye of living patients. Meanwhile, OCT is an imaging system that reveals cross-sections of the retina layer-by-layer.

These techniques allowed the researchers to see the microscopic lesions of the cones, one of the three types of photoreceptor cells of the mammalian eye retina, responsible for color vision.

"To actually see this type of structural change was unexpected, but that explains the symptoms that the patient suffers from," said Rosen. "Although we know that colored vision 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 until now. "

"Our findings should help physicians become aware of potential cell changes in patients who may over-use the drug to better inform patients about the risks of excessive consumption."

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, temporarily red vision, or erythropsia, can be caused by more than 20 different medications and sometimes occurs after a cataract operation.

The presence of flashes of light, called photopsia, is most often associated with migraines, sensory deprivation, retinal detachment (when the retina separates from the back of the eye) and posterior vitreous detachment. – a common condition caused by natural changes of the gel that constitutes the space inside the eye.