Researchers from the University of British Columbia in Canada have found that continued use of erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra, Cialis, Stendra and Levitra increases the risk of serious eye diseases, some of which can lead to blindness, up to 85%.
To arrive at this risk ratio, the study analyzed health insurance data from 213,000 men in the United States who had no vision problems a year before they started taking erectile dysfunction drugs.
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Then they looked at how many of those volunteers developed one or more conditions following using the drugs and how many went on without any problems.
The study highlights that the risk of retinal detachment increased by 2.5 times, for retinal vein occlusion (RVO) it increased by 1.4 times, while for ischemic optic neuropathy (ION), it increased by 2.2 times.
“These are rare conditions, and the individual risk of developing one remains very low for any given user. However, the number of prescriptions made each month in the United States – around 20 million – means that a significant number of people might be affected. Regular users of these medications who notice a change in vision should take this seriously and seek medical attention,” says Mahyar Etminan, professor in the department of ophthalmology and visual sciences at UBC School of Medicine.
Erectile dysfunction drugs increase the risk of serious eye diseases. Image: tommaso79/Shutterstock
Researchers have not indicated which factor increases this risk of developing eye diseases by up to 85%, but there is a hypothesis that it might be linked to the deviation of blood flow.
“These drugs treat erectile dysfunction by improving blood flow to the area, but we know they can also impede blood flow to other parts of the body. So, although our study does not prove cause and effect, there is a mechanism by which these drugs may cause these problems. The totality of evidence points to a strong link,” they explained.
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