Alpha-blocker prostate drugs cause long-term complications for eye health, cataract surgery

Email this article to a friend

Printable Version

Articles Related to This Article: • Prostate Diagnosis and Treatment Lags, but Research on Lifestyle Yields Clues • Omega-3s - Fish Oils, Flaxseed Oil and Prostate Cancer - What do the Experts Say? • Improve Prostate Health Naturally Sign the Health Revolution Petition Join the call for genuine health freedom in America. End FDA tyranny and Big Pharma corruption. Watch the video and sign the petition here.

(NaturalNews) U.S. eye experts issued an alert yesterday warning eye surgeons that patients taking alpha-blocker drugs to treat an enlarged prostate may have difficulty recovering from cataract surgery.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, and the American Urological Association alerted applicants for cataract surgery that they need to inform their doctors if they have taken Flomax, Hytrin, Cardura, Uroxatral or other alpha-blocker drugs.

Dr. David F. Chang, a clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of California, San Francisco, and researcher Dr. John Campbell tracked 1,600 cataract surgery patients and found that current or previous use of alpha-blockers -- especially Flomax -- apparently prevents the muscle of the iris (the colored part of the eye) from keeping the pupil completely open during the surgery. Dilation of the pupil is necessary for surgeons to remove the cataract-affected lens properly.

"If we know that patients have ever used Flomax or the other drugs, we can use different, longer-lasting dilation eye drops or micro-hooks to keep the pupil completely dilated during surgery," Chang says. "Taking these measures, which eye surgeons normally wouldn't use, will prevent potential problems and result in an excellent prognosis."

Alpha-blockers combat the need for patients with enlarged prostate to urinate suddenly and frequently by controlling a receptor in the prostate muscle. However, the same receptor controls the dilation muscle in the iris and pupil, according to Chang.

"All pharmaceuticals have unintended side effects," said Mike Adams, a consumer health advocate. "They may be sold to treat one specific condition, but the truth is that these patented, synthetic chemicals are circulated throughout the body and inevitably impact tissues and organs that were never intended to be treated in the first place."

A spokeswoman for Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals -- which makes Flomax -- says the company has sent letters to ophthalmologists and eye surgeons about possible surgical complications associated with the drug. In November 2005, the FDA approved a change to the labels of alpha-blockers that warns patients to "be prepared for possible modifications to their surgical technique."

###

Get articles like this delivered to you FREE in our popular email newsletter

Related CounterThink Cartoons:

Related Articles: • Prostate Diagnosis and Treatment Lags, but Research on Lifestyle Yields Clues • Omega-3s - Fish Oils, Flaxseed Oil and Prostate Cancer - What do the Experts Say? • Improve Prostate Health Naturally	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/020102_prostate_drugs_Alpha-blockers_Prostate.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. Embed article link: (copy HTML code below): <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/020102_prostate_drugs_Alpha-blockers_Prostate.html">Alpha-blocker prostate drugs cause long-term complications for eye health, cataract surgery</a>