A Case of a Visual Field Defect with Optical Coherence Tomography Changes after Sildenafil Citrate Overdose

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: A case of a transient visual field defect and a change in spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) after an overdose of sildenafil citrate is described. CASE SUMMARY: A 67-year-old male with no previous medical history presented with a bluish tinge and visual field defect in both eyes. He had consumed eight tablets of sildenafil citrate (800 mg) 3 days before the visit. His best-corrected visual acuity was 14/20 in the right eye and 20/20 in the left eye. No specific finding was noted on slit-lamp examination. Fundus examination and fundus photography revealed focal foveal hypopigmentation in both eyes. He underwent SD-OCT imaging with the Cirrus HD-OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Oberkochen, Germany), and thickening of the ellipsoid zone and choroid was revealed by SD-OCT scans. He was advised not to take any more sildenafil citrate and was followed for 1 week after the first visit. Central scotomas of both eyes were revealed by a visual field test, and thickening of the ellipsoid zone and choroid remained. His eyes were re-evaluated 1 and 3 months after the first visit, and although the symptoms nearly disappeared, abnormalities in the visual field test and on SD-OCT remained, albeit with some degree of improvement. He revisited us 4 months after the first visit, at which time the visual field test and SD-OCT scans showed results within normal ranges. CONCLUSIONS: Sildenafil citrate overdose can result in a color anomaly (bluish tinge), visual field defects, and thickening of the ellipsoid zone and choroid on SD-OCT scans.