A man is seeing red after drinking liquid sildenafil citrate, an erectile dysfunction medication, straight from the bottle. Literally seeing red.
The New York man drank a generic version of the erectile dysfunction drug two years ago, according to journal Retinal Cases & Brief Reports, and since then has had a red tint to his vision.
The 31-year-old couldn't tell ophthalmologists know how much liquid sildenafil citrate he had consumed, but it was probably more than the recommended dose of about 50mg.
A closer look at his eyes showed the drug had damaged photoreceptor cells at the back of his eye, essential for seeing colour properly.
Pfizer, the company that originally brought Viagra to the market, says visual side effects are common in large doses up to 200mg, but usually go away in 24 hours. And men's sight usually turns blue, not red.
"People live by the philosophy that if a little bit is good, a lot is better," said Richard Rosen, director of Retina Services at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, where the man was treated, unsuccessfully.
"This study shows how dangerous a large dose of commonly used medication can be."
Newshub.
