Viagra may be associated with vision problems that have reached the point of temporary color blindness, so is Viagra and its substance "sildenafil" really harmful to the eyes?
A study published in 2020 showed that a number of people using Viagra had vision problems that reached the point of temporary color blindness, and Deutsche Welle transmitted it.
Since it was licensed in 1998, millions of people around the world have resorted to Viagra, a substance that contains sildenafil, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction in men.
However, a study showed that Viagra may cause damage to the eyes and may even lead to temporary color blindness.
vision problems
According to an article about this study published in "Frontiers in Neurology", 17 cases of men who came to a hospital in Turkey with vision problems caused by taking the sexual stimulant "sildenafil" were documented.
These symptoms persisted for more than 24 hours.
These problems were specifically blurred vision, sensitivity to light and color blindness, noting that none of the patients included in the study had previously suffered from eye diseases.
It was previously known that sildenafil can cause temporary vision problems.
They include blurred vision.
These side effects usually disappear within 3 to 5 hours, so the side effects documented by the Turkish study remain rare.
Fortunately, vision problems disappeared in all of the men in the study after a maximum of 21 days.
Causes of color blindness
Sildenafil combats erectile dysfunction by inhibiting an enzyme called phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5), which plays a role in regulating blood flow to the penis.
But sildenafil also inhibits an enzyme called phosphodiesterase type 6 (PDE6), which is found in retinal cells at the back of the eye.
At higher doses, this inhibition is thought to lead to the formation of a toxic molecule in retinal cells.
All of the people in the study used sildenafil for the first time, and received the maximum daily dose of 100 milligrams.
It remains unclear why some people are more susceptible to the side effects of sildenafil than others.
This may be because their bodies do not get rid of the drug effectively, leading to a concentration of sildenafil in the blood that is greater than the usual amount for most people who take this drug.