Erectile dysfunction medications such as sildenafil citrate (Viagra) or tadalafil (Cialis) are commonly prescribed worldwide.
They are selective phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor and partial phosphodiesterase-6 inhibitors causing smooth muscle relaxation in the corpus cavernosum, allowing penile vasodilatation and erection in response to sexual stimuli. Over the years, there have been an increasing number of case reports concerning patients who developed ischemic optic neuropathy soon after the ingestion of these drugs. Although a cause and effect relationship between usage of the drugs and the development of ischemic optic neuropathy is difficult to prove, it is common nowadays to advise patients, especially those suffering from diabetes, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease, regarding the potential risk of visual loss due to ischemic optic neuropathy and treatment with erectile dysfunction drugs. Patients who were diagnosed with ischemic optic neuropathy soon after the ingestion of these erectile dysfunction drugs should be warned about a similar event in their fellow eye and should be advised regarding drug discontinuation.
Written by:
Krashin-Bichler I, Dotan G. Are you the author?
Neuro-Ophthalmology Unit, Ophthalmology Department, Tel Aviv Medical Center.
Reference: Harefuah. 2013 Feb;152(2):84-7, 123.
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23513498
Article in Hebrew.
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