Using Viagra can be blind

Viagra, the impotent drug known as "aphrodisiac", can cause blindness in men with eye problems and even in gentlemen with seemingly normal eyesight, according to one. new research.

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Some previous studies have shown that sildenafil , the main active ingredient in Viagra's impotence drug, can cause temporary vision problems in some healthy people. Now, doctors warn, sildenafil can also cause long-term damage to the eyes of people with retinitis pigmentosa (retinitis pigmentosa).

People with normal vision, but who carry the gene that develops pigment retinitis, may also face the risk of suffering from the dreaded side effects from the "first -aid drug " active ingredient .

Pigmented retinitis is a rare genetic disease in which the retina cells - the area behind the eye - specialize in detecting light, degenerating and dying. This condition can lead to difficulty seeing in dim light, peripheral vision loss and sometimes blindness.

Sildenafil, the main active ingredient in Viagra's impotence drug, has been found to potentially damage eyesight for men.(Artwork: newswire.ca)

Statistics show that about one in 50 people in the world are able to carry genes that lead to the degradation of cells in the retina.

In the new study, researchers from the University of New South Wales (Australia) tested sildenafil in healthy mice and mice carrying a mutant version of the gene that causes retinal cell degradation. They discovered that healthy mice had eye problems for about two days.

However, the impotence drug that affects the eyesight of mice carries mutated genes for up to 2 weeks. The team also found early signs that the cells in this group of mice are dying, suggesting that sildenafil may cause vision loss in people with disease-developing genes, but still have normal vision.

According to Dr. Lisa Nivison-Smith from the University of New South Wales School of Ophthalmology, if the cells in the retina die, the owner will be blind. People with normal vision, but carrying a mutant version of the pigment retinitis pigmentosa, may be more vulnerable to changes caused by sildenafil.

Explaining the phenomenon, experts say, sildenafil may interfere with an important enzyme for transmitting light signals from the retina to the brain.

The new study was published in the journal Experimental Eye Research exactly when there were reports of "Viagra outbreak" in the UK, after the patent for the brand's drug expired last year. The price of "aphrodisiacs" has dropped by 93% when cheaper synthetic versions of the drug hit the market.

Some previous studies have linked Viagra and other anti-impotence drugs to such side effects as deafness. US researchers have also discovered that men who use Viagra increase their risk of developing skin cancer.

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