Cataract Surgery and Flomax

By Jeffrey Martin MD

Published on April 06, 2010

Cataract surgery is a very successful outpatient procedure that has made great strides in the last decade. Cataract surgery is routinely performed using eye drop anesthesia with IV sedation instead of needle injections or general anesthesia. Dr. Jeffrey Martin rarely uses stitches or even an eye patch following surgery at our Long Island eye care practice.

A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens of the eye that happens as we age. When a cataract interferes with a patient's vision, we consider cataract surgery. There are some clinical situations that require more attention when it comes to cataract surgery. For example, if a patient suffers from a medical condition or takes medication, it is important to disclose this information to your cataract surgeon.

Flomax is a medication that is used for men with prostate enlargement. It is used to relax the prostate muscle. A side effect of Flomax causes the iris of the eye to become flaccid or floppy during cataract surgery, making it important to maintain adequate dilation during cataract surgery. When a patient decides to have cataract surgery and takes Flomax, Dr. Martin may use iris hooks or an iris ring to manually maintain dilation during cataract surgery. Sometimes a special mixture of dilating medications is enough, but the cataract surgeon has to be prepared. As long as the cataract surgeon is familiar with the effects of Flomax in cataract surgery, these cases proceed routinely without complication in most cataract procedures.

If you use Flomax and are considering cataract surgery, make sure that you inform your cataract surgeon.