The Dr. B Health Blog

The age of pharmacologic medicine continues its’ downward slide. If you are or have taken a class of drug called an alpha blocker it can cause serious complications years later during cataract surgery called floppy iris syndrome (pictured above). Perhaps the most common alpha blocker used today is tamsulosin (Flomax). Remember the ad? “If you gotta go, you gotta go!!!” Flomax helps men with enlarged prostates with symptoms of urgency. There are yet others that can cause floppy iris syndrome including Coreg (carvidilol) and Trandate (labetalol)- both with alpha blocking effects. Even if you stopped taking the drugs right now, the syndrome could occur years from today because of atrophy of the muscle that dilates the pupil.