According to a recent study from the University of British Columbia (Canada), regular users of common drugs for erectile dysfunction increase their risk of developing one of three serious eye conditions by 85%. Conclusions relayed by the Daily Mail (source 1).
This conclusion is the result of an epidemiological study conducted using data from 213,000 American men. Of the participants, none had similar eye problems before becoming regular users of common erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra, Cialis, Levitra and Stendra. These findings were published in JAMA Ophthalmology.
After considering other conditions that may affect sight – such as diabetes, l’hypertension and coronary heart disease – they found increased risks of severe retinal detachment (SRD), retinal vascular occlusion (RVO) and ischemic optic neuropathy (ION).
Consult a specialist to have your eyes checked
“Although we found a high risk, the risk in absolute terms is not very large. We report that approximately 15 in 10,000 patients (may be affected). However, given that in the United States, approximately 20 million prescriptions are issued for these drugs each month, even a small risk could translate into a significant number of men potentially facing these events,” summarizes Dr. Mahyar Etminan, Associate Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Science. visuals from UBC medical school. Before adding: “That’s why we wanted to let it be known that if you have any visual deficits or changes when taking these drugs, be sure to check and consult an ophthalmologist“.
Despite these results, the main author of this study does not necessarily encourage men to stop taking the famous little blue pill. Indeed, in many situations, the improvement in quality of life outweighs the risk factor.