It's well established that Viagra can affect some people's eyesight - blurred or bluish tinged vision is a known side effect of the drug. Not a common one, but it happens. But anecdotal evidence and some preliminary medical studies indicates that Viagra may affect hearing as well.An article published earlier this year in The Laryngoscope cited 47 cases of sudden hearing loss associated with Viagra or other PDE-5 inhibitors such as Cialis or Levitra (with the change in hearing occurring within 24 hours of the patient having taken the drug). Over 200 other cases were reported but not included in the study due to lack of detail. Average age of those experience hearing loss was 57. The majority lost hearing in one ear only. (It was also reported that the ratio of male to female patients reporting hearing loss was 7 to 1, but it's hard to know the significance of that given the fact that not many women take Viagra).
Doctors don't know how these drugs might cause hearing loss, but one theory is that increased blood flow to the inner ear damages tissues. This seems plausible. The same increased circulation and dilation of blood vessels that causes headaches and a sense of pressure in the head is blasting blood into the delicate tissues of the inner ear. Or it could be some other physiological process. And although the reported cases involved sudden and dramatic loss of hearing, it seems it could also be possible that a regular Viagra user might experience less noticeable and cumulative hearing damage over time.
There's no conclusive evidence that Viagra or similar ED meds directly cause hearing loss. The connection between the meds and hearing loss in these cases was temporal - meaning it happened soon after the drug was taken. All doctors can say is that "further research is warranted," and that patients should be warned about this potential side effect. But if you're a regular user of an ED drug and you're over 40, it might be a good idea to get your hearing checked periodically.
