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Study: Popular erectile dysfunction drugs do not harm the retina

Arch Ophthalmol. 2009;127(4):367-373.

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Long-term use of popular erectile dysfunction drugs does not appear to affect the retina, according to a study.

Oral medications to treat erectile dysfunction, such as Cialis (tadalafil, Eli Lilly) and Viagra (sildenafil citrate, Pfizer), inhibit phosphodiesterase type 5, an intracellular messenger that is a causative factor in some cases of erectile dysfunction. There has been suggestion that phosphodiesterase type 5 is structurally similar to phosphodiesterase type 6, which is active in regulating the phototransduction cascade, and so off-target inhibition may cause unwanted visual effects.

However, researchers found no difference in electroretinography findings in 85 patients taking a 5-mg daily dose of tadalafil for 6 months or 77 patients taking a 50-mg daily dose of sildenafil for 6 months when compared with 82 patients taking a placebo.

"There were also no events suggestive of drug toxicity on tests of visual function (visual acuity, static perimetry, color discrimination), ocular anatomy (funduscopy, anterior chamber, lens opacities) or IOP," the study authors wrote.