Study Reiterates Eye Risks Linked to Flomax

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A spokeswoman for Boehringer Ingelheim said the drug maker continues to stand behind its product and believes Flomax is safe when used in the prescribed manner.

"Boehringer Ingelheim is analyzing the data to determine whether it will impact our understanding of the risks and benefits of Flomax capsules in any way," said company spokeswoman Susan Holz.

Information given doctors and patients states "that if patients are considering cataract surgery, they should tell their eye surgeon if they are taking or have taken Flomax," Holz said. "This information is also included in all patient communications regarding Flomax. The Flomax Prescribing Information also states that the patient's eye surgeon should be prepared for possible modifications to the surgical technique for any patient who has taken Flomax."

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For the study, Bell's team collected data on 96,128 Canadian men, 66 years and older, who had cataract surgery between 2002 and 2007. Among them, 3,550 had taken Flomax in the two weeks before cataract surgery, and 1,006 had taken the drug more than two weeks before their surgery. In addition, 9,109 men had been taking similar drugs.

In the two weeks after surgery, 284 of the men had a serious complication. Of these, 175 underwent another operation because of a lost lens or lens fragment, 35 had retinal detachment and 26 had both complications. An additional 100 had suspected inflammation within or around the eye.

Flomax is often prescribed to treat an enlarged prostate, a condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, which affects almost three of four men 70 and older. Symptoms include difficulty urinating. Flomax accounted for $1 billion in sales in 2007, according to the researchers.

Dr. David F. Chang, a clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of California, San Francisco, said that the study strengthens the existing evidence about risks associated with taking Flomax before cataract surgery.

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