Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Effect of sildenafil on ocular hemodynamics in 3 months regular use

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of sildenafil on ocular hemodynamics in a group of men with erectile dysfunction in 3 months regular use. A total of 15 patients with erectile dysfunction were included in this prospective study. All patients received 50 mg doses of sildenafil (Viagra, Pfizer) two times per week regularly for 3 months. The following examinations were performed on both eyes before and after sildenafil treatment: best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), color vision, anterior segment, and fundus examination. Using color Doppler imaging, we measured hemodynamic variables in the ophthalmic artery (OA), central retinal artery (CRA), and short posterior ciliary artery (SPCA). No significant changes in BCVA, color vision and IOP were found after sildenafil treatment. The anterior segment and fundus examinations showed no abnormalities. All Doppler parameters of OA, CRA, and SPCA remained nonsignificant for both eyes after sildenafil treatment. Oral sildenafil in 3 months regular use seems to have no effect on ocular hemodynamics.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Boolell M, Gepi-Attee S, Gingell JC, Allen MJ . Sildenafil, a novel effective oral therapy for male erectile dysfunction. Br J Urol 1996; 78: 257–261.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Burnett AL . Role of nitric oxide in the physiology of erection. Biol Reprod 1995; 52: 485–489.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Terrett NK, Bell AS, Brown D, Ellis P . Sildenafil (Viagra), a potent and selective inhibitor of type 5 cGMP phosphodiesterase with utility for the treatment of male erectile dysfunction. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 1996; 6: 1819–1824.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Goldstein I, Lue TF, Padma-Nathan H, Rosen RC, Steers WD, Wicker PA . Oral sildenafil in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil Study Group. N Engl J Med 1998; 338: 1397–1404.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Rosen RC, Riley A, Wagner G, Osterloh IH, Kirkpatrick J, Mishra A . The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF): a multidimensional scale for assessment of erectile dysfunction. Urology 1997; 49: 822–830.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Ballard SA, Gingell CJ, Tang K, Turner LA, Price ME, Naylor AM . Effects of sildenafil on the relaxation of human corpus cavernosum tissue in vitro and on the activities of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase isozymes. J Urol 1998; 159: 2164–2171.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Moreland RB, Goldstein I, Traish A . Sildenafil, a novel inhibitor of phosphodiesterase type 5 human corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells. Life Sci 1998; 62: 309–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Boolell M, Allen MJ, Ballard SA, Gepi-Attee S, Muirhead GJ, Naylor AM et al. Sildenafil: an orally type 5 cyclic GMP-spesific phosphodiesterase inhibitor for the treatment of penile erectile dysfunction. Int J Impot Res 1996; 8: 47–52.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Jeremy JY, Ballard SA, Naylor AM, Miller MA, Angelini GD . Effects of sildenafil, a type-5 cGMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor, and papaverine on cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP levels in the rabbit corpus cavernosum in vitro. Br J Urol 1997; 79: 958–963.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Waldman SA, Murad F . Cyclic GMP synthesis and function. Pharmacol Rev 1987; 39: 163–196.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Rendell MS, Rajfer J, Wicker PA, Smith MD . Sildenafil for treatment of erectile dysfunction in men with diabetes. JAMA 1999; 281: 421–426.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Price DE, Gingell JC, Gepi-Attee S, Wareham K, Yates P, Boolell M . Sildenafil: study of a novel oral treatment for erectile dysfunction in diabetic men. Diabet Med 1998; 15: 821–825.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Morales A, Gingell C, Collins M, Wicker PA, Osterloh IH . Clinical safety of oral sildenafil citrate (Viagra) in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Int J Impot Res 1998; 10: 69–74.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Viagra Tablets (Sildenafil Citrate): Review and Evaluation of Pharmocology and Toxicology Data for NDA-20-895. Division of Cardio-renal Drug Products, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration: Washington DC 1998, pp 19–21.

  15. Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Animal pharmacology: mechanism of action, section 4.2. In: Viagra (sildenafil): joint clinical review for NDA-20-895. Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Food and Drug Administration, Washington, DC, 1998, 4p.

  16. Vobig MA, Klotz T, Staak M, Bartz-Schmidt KU, Engelmann U, Walter P . Retinal side effects of sildenafil. Lancet 1999; 353: 375.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Zrenner E, Koppiker NP, Smith MD, Constable I, Littlewood R, Stuckey B . The effects of long-term sildenafil treatment on ocular safety in patients with erectile dysfunction. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2000; 41: S592.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Grunwald JE, Siu KK, Jacob SS, Dupont J . Effect of sildenafil citrate (Viagra) on the ocular circulation. Am J Ophthalmol 2001; 131: 751–755.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Sponsel WE, Paris G, Sandoval SS, Sanford DK, Harrison JM, Elliott WR et al. Sildenafil and ocular perfusion. N Eng J Med 2000; 342: 1680.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Harris A, Williamson TH, Martin B, Shoemaker JA, Sergott RC, Spaeth GL et al. Test/retest reproducibility of color Doppler imaging assessment of blood flow velocity in orbital vessels. J Glaucoma 1995; 4: 281–286.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Dundar SO, Dundar M, Kocak I, Dayanir Y, Ozkan SB . Effect of sildenafil on ocular hemodynamics. Eye 2001; 15: 507–510.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Kurtulan E, Gulcu A, Secil M, Celebi I, Aslan G, Esen AA . Effects of sildenafil on ocular perfusion demonstrated by color Doppler ultrasonography. Int J Impot Res 2004; 16: 244–248.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Vatansever HS, Kayikcioglu O, Gumus B . Histopathologic effect of chronic use of sildenafil citrate on the choroid and retina in male rats. Indian J Med Res 2003; 117: 211–215.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Moncada S, Radomski MW, Palmer RMJ . Endothelium derived relaxing factor: identification as nitric oxide and role in the control of vascular tone and platelet function. Biochem Pharmacol 1988; 37: 2495–2501.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Gardiner SM, Compton AM, Bennett T, Palmer RM, Moncada S . Control of regional blood flow by endothelium-derived nitric oxide. Hypertension 1990; 15: 486–492.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Kelly PA, Buckley CH, Ritchie IM, O’Brien C . Possible role for nitric oxide releasing nerves in the regulation of ocular blood flow in the rat. Br J Ophthalmol 1998; 82: 1199–1202.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Roufail E, Stringer M, Rees S . Nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity and NADH diaphorase staining are colocalised in neurones closely associated with the vasculature in rat and human retina. Brain Res 1995; 684: 36–46.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S O Dündar.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dündar, S., Dayanir, Y., Topaloğlu, A. et al. Effect of sildenafil on ocular hemodynamics in 3 months regular use. Int J Impot Res 18, 282–286 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3901416

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3901416

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links