Flomax (Tamsulosin) After Cataract Surgery Linked to Severe Eye Damage, Report Finds

Flomax, the drug taken by millions of older men with enlarged prostates, can lead to vision loss and other serious eye injuries when taken within two weeks of cataract surgery, new research finds.

Tamsulosin, the generic drug better known as Flomax, resulted in lens loss, retinal detachment, and inflammation of eyes in a study conducted by researchers from St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada. Another class of prostate drugs does not have the same eye side effects, researchers said.

Study of Canadian Cataract Patients

For the study, scientists focused on 96,128 men ages 66 and older who underwent cataract surgery in Canada from 2002 to 2007. Of those men, 3,550 had taken tamsulosin within two weeks of the surgery while another 7,426 had taken drugs called alpha-blocking agents following the procedures.

A total of 284 of the patients in the study experienced side effects related to cataract surgery. The study found that patients who suffered complications were 2.3 times more likely to have taken tamsulosin than the alpha-blockers, which showed no such increased risk of eye injury.

According to the researchers, one in every 255 cataract surgery patients who take tamulosin within 14 days of the surgery will develop severe eye complications.

“Because the combination of cataract surgery and tamsulosin exposure is relatively common, patients should be properly (apprised) of the risks of drug therapy, and preoperative systems should focus on the identification of tamsulosin use by patients,” the study authors concluded.

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