Intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS) was first described in 2005 by Chang and Campbell in patients undergoing cataract surgery who were taking tamsulosin.1 Tamsulosin is the most commonly prescribed drug for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. It acts by selectively antagonising alpha-1a adrenergic receptors (α1ARs) found in the bladder neck and prostate smooth muscle, resulting in relaxation of the muscles and improvement of urinary flow. It has the therapeutic advantage of being uroselective and therefore having fewer cardiovascular side effects.2

The use of tamsulosin has been proposed for various urological conditions in women since it has been proved to have a significant relaxing effect on the urethral tone in healthy women in vivo.3