Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2026
Evaluation of Capillary and Other Vessel Contribution to Macular Perfusion Density Measured with Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
Published on: February 18, 2022
Changes in Retinal and Choroidal Vascular Blood Flow after Oral Sildenafil: An Optical Coherence Tomography
David Berrones1, Guillermo Salcedo-Villanueva2, Virgilio Morales-Cantón2
1Ophthalmology Department, Asociación para Evitar la Ceguera en México IAP, Mexico City, Mexico.
Purpose:
To describe changes in the retina and choroidal flow by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) after a single dose of oral sildenafil.
Method:
A case-control study. Patients in the study group received 50 mg of oral sildenafil. Patients in the control group received a sham pill. Retinal and choroidal images were obtained at baseline (before pill ingestion) and 1 hour after ingestion. Central macular and choroidal thickness, choroidal and outer retina flow, and the retinal and choroidal vascular density were compared using a Mann-Whitney U test.
Results:
Twenty eyes were enrolled into the study group and 10 eyes in the control group. There was a significant difference in central choroidal thickness and outer retina blood flow between groups after 1 hour of sildenafil ingestion (p < 0.01). There were no differences in central macular thickness, choroidal flow, and retinal vascular density among groups.
Conclusions:
A single dose of oral sildenafil increases choroidal thickness, probably due to sildenafil-induced vasodilation.
