Poppers-Associated Retinal Toxicity

Abstract

To the Editor: “Poppers” (slang for various forms of alkyl nitrite) are volatile nitric oxide donors that have been used for decades as recreational drugs. Both the popularity of and legal tolerance for poppers have led to the perception that these drugs are relatively innocuous.1 Here, we describe four patients who were seen within a few months of one another and who had prolonged visual loss as a result of damage to foveal photoreceptors shortly after inhaling poppers. In January 2010, Patient 1, a 27-year-old woman, presented with an 11-day history of a reduction in bilateral vision and a “central . . .