Viagra and dry eyes

[Moonraker]

As I mentioned when I introduced myself yesterday, I had wondered whether Viagra had exacerbated my dry eye condition, and using the little blue pill doesn't appear to have featured in this Forum before.

In recent years of having DES in my right eye, I've come to need only Lacrilube at night and Viscotears occasionally in the day. I started taking 50mg of Viagra (on private prescription from my general practitioner) once a week almost two years ago, with no problems. About four months ago, I increased this to seven or eight times a month.

Shortly afterwards, my right eye became drier which at first I attributed to taking long walks (up to 11 hours) in the countryside (with exposure to pollen, dust and agricultural chemicals). Then I wondered if the Viagra was the cause - the leaflet in the packet warns of common side effects on vision in "1 to 10 patients in 1000", and with my existing condition I thought that I would be more vulnerable.

So I stopped taking Viagra, only for the dryness to worsen and after 22 days I went to Eye Casualty, where the doctor completely dismissed my theory, suggested that I tape my eyelids together at night and said I could go on using Viagra.

The taping somewhat eased the dryness and after five days I tried Viagra again. The eye was a little drier the next morning, but this could have been due to other factors. I'm returning to the Eye Clinic in ten days' time, when I'll be interested in a second opinion.

Has anyone else with DES had any experience with Viagra?

Moonraker

(Just realised that the original thread title might make members suspicious that this was SPAM, so have hopefully clarified it.)

[Moonraker]

Did your Eye Doctor run any comprehensive tests to determine the extent of the dry eye.

No, he just dilated both eyes and looked at them for a minute or two, and asked me to close my lids, which led him to observe the right ones weren't fully closing - as they haven't for 14 years.

In all fairness to him, I had gone to Eye Casualty - where I was seen quickly - as I was concerned about the increasing dryness and a booked appointment was 16 days away. I suspect that other people awaiting attention had more alarming symptoms than mine. If it's not Viagra that's causing the problem, why has the dryness increased recently? Ageing making the eyelid muscles weaker? My being a bit superficial with the Lacrilube at night? I guess resolving the issue will be a case of trial and error. I'm not helping matters by spending quite a bit of time in front of the PC, and it was quiet a relief to walk down to the shops in the fresh air.

[Moonraker]

I get plenty of sleep, usually nine hours at this time of the year, which some would say is too much! (I wake with the dawn, however darkened the room may be in summer.)

I don't drink much caffeine, but when I do, even in moderation (a coffee mid-morning, a can of Coke mid-afternoon) it can disturb my sleep pattern. As it happens, I often have a couple of rum-and-Cokes on the days that I take Viagra.

The eye is a bit better, even though I've spent much of the day in front of a PC - taking exaggerated blinks from time to time. It'll be interesting to see how it will react to my usual outdoor activities when I resume them.

(By the way, I almost feel a fraud on this Forum; my problems are so minor compared with what many of you are experiencing. At least I can claim to have had five surgical procedures on my eyes over the years and to be a veteran user of Lacrilube and Viscotears!)


Moonraker