Optic Nerve Damage Linked to Viagra, Cialis

Impotence drugs such as Viagra and Cialis can increase the risk of eye damage in men who have a history of heart disease or high blood pressure, researchers reported Tuesday in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

In a small study, scientists at the University of Alabama in Birmingham found that men who had suffered a heart attack were 10 times more likely to have a form of optic nerve damage called nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy if they had been taking anti-impotence pills.

The condition is the most common cause of acute optic nerve disease in people older than 50, and can cause permanent vision loss in one or both eyes.