Scientists at the University of Alabama in Birmingham found that men who suffered a heart attack were 10 times more likely to suffer damage to their optic nerve, if they had been taking anti-impotence pills.
Dr. Gerald McGwin, head of the study, stated in a report featured in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, "For patients with a history of myocardial infarction (heart attack), we did observe a strong and statistically significant association suggestive of a link between the use of Viagra and/or Cialis and an increased risk of NAION."
Non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is the most common cause of acute optic nerve disease in people over 50; it can cause permanent loss of vision in one, or both, eyes.
Researchers questioned 76 men, half of which suffered NAION, all of which were treated at a specialist eye clinic within the U.S., about their smoking and drinking habits and anti-impotence drug use.
