Having a mind blowing orgasm could cause blindness

We all know that a mind blowing orgasm can take us to heady heights.
But blindingly good sex can be just that – blinding.
Reaching that hotly anticipated climax can actually burst a blood vessel in your eye and impair your vision.
That’s what happened to one unlucky man from Southampton.
The 29-year-old went to hospital after noticing part of his vision was impaired in his left eye.
He told doctors he had “vigorous sexual intercourse” the night before but he hadn’t noticed the problem with his sight until the next morning.
Doctors examined him and found a haemorrhage in his eye caused by a pressure build up when he had an orgasm.
“During orgasm the valsalva manoeuvre [holding your breath to prevent an orgasm] can produce a sudden increase in retinal venous pressure resulting in vessel rupture and haemorrhagic retinopathy,” the BMJ case report noted.
Basically, the intense pressure from his climax caused a sudden increase in pressure behind his retina and resulted in a blood vessel bursting.
The burst vessel then obstructed his vision in that eye.
The report also noted that men are more likely to hold their breath to stop themselves ejaculating and could therefore be more at risk of this type of injury.
But don’t panic yet, the injury was only temporary.
The blood in his eye reabsorbed into his body naturally and he was able to see out of his left eye again.
“The autonomic effects of orgasm on the eye are well known and have been associated with other ocular pathology, including angle closure glaucoma [damage to the optic nerve due pressure build up],” the report concluded.
“Prior to ejaculation, retinal vascular tone decreases, allowing vessels to dilate and become engorged.”
As the blood vessels in the eye are more relaxed they are able to fill with more blood than normal and therefore risk bursting.
There have been at least six other documented cases of orgasms causing blood vessels in the eye to burst.
The authors of the report wrote that the case was an important reminder to obtain a full sexual history from patients – after all, sex can cause a number of injuries.
Getting down and dirty too vigorously can even break a man’s penis.