Bromfenac
About Bromfenac
This medication is a sterile eye drop prescribed to treat swelling, redness, and pain after cataract surgery. By targeting inflammation directly in the eye, it helps support a smoother and more comfortable recovery process. Your doctor will determine exactly how long you need to use this treatment based on your healing progress.
To get the best results, it is important to use these eye drops consistently at the same times each day as directed by your eye specialist. While using this medication, wearing sunglasses outdoors and avoiding dusty environments can protect your healing eyes from irritation. You should not wear contact lenses during your treatment unless your doctor specifically tells you it is safe.
Most people tolerate these eye drops well, but some may experience temporary mild stinging, burning, or watery eyes right after application. If you experience severe eye pain, sudden changes in your vision, or worsening redness, stop using the drops and contact your doctor immediately. These serious symptoms require prompt medical attention to protect your eyesight.
Do not use this if you are allergic to aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Before starting this treatment, tell your doctor if you have bleeding tendencies, diabetes, dry eye syndrome, or a history of multiple eye surgeries. These conditions can increase your risk of developing corneal side effects.
This medication can interact with other eye drops, especially steroid drops, which can slow down eye healing. If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor or pharmacist to weigh the benefits and risks. Elderly individuals should also consult their healthcare provider, as they may be more prone to dry eyes or corneal issues.
Uses of Bromfenac
Medicinal Benefits
Bromfenac provides targeted, localised relief directly to the eye, ensuring that pain and swelling are managed where they start. This direct approach offers several key benefits for your recovery:
- Effective Pain Relief: It significantly reduces the aching, soreness, and discomfort that typically follow cataract surgery, allowing you to rest and heal comfortably.
- Controlling Swelling: By keeping inflammation in check, it prevents excessive fluid buildup in the eye tissues, which helps your vision stabilise and clear up more quickly.
- Convenient and Targeted Action: Because it is applied directly to the eye as a drop, it limits the amount of medicine absorbed into the rest of your body, reducing the likelihood of systemic side effects.
Directions for Use
- Follow your doctor's instructions on the dosage and timing of this medication to ensure safety.
- Lie down and tilt your head backwards. Pull your lower eyelid gently with your index finger to form a pocket. Instil the number of drops as advised by the doctor into the pocket of the lower eyelid. Close your eyes for 1-2 minutes.
- Avoid touching the tip of the container to prevent contamination.
Storage
Side Effects of Bromfenac
Common Side Effects (Usually mild):
- Temporary burning or stinging immediately after applying the drops
- Mild eye redness, itching, or watering
- Temporary blurred vision right after application
- A feeling like something is in your eye
Serious Side Effects (Call a doctor right away):
- Severe, sharp, or worsening eye pain
- Sudden changes in vision or vision loss
- Slow healing of the eye after surgery
- Severe swelling, redness, or discharge from the eye
- Signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat, severe dizziness, or trouble breathing
Medicines Containing this Salt
View AllDrug Warnings
- Inspect the Eye Drops Before Use: Always check the appearance of the liquid before each use; do not use the eye drops if the solution is cloudy, discoloured, or contains visible particles.
- Keep the Dropper Sterile: Never let the dropper tip touch any surface, including your eye or fingers, to prevent bacteria from contaminating the remaining medicine.
- Space Out Other Eye Medications: If you are using other eye drops or ointments, always wait at least 5 to 10 minutes between applying Bromfenac and your other eye medications to prevent them from washing each other out.
- Take Care When Driving: Do not drive, operate machinery, or perform activities requiring clear vision immediately after using the drops, as your vision may be temporarily blurry.
- Monitor Your Recovery: Stop using the drops immediately and call your doctor if your eye redness worsens, if you feel sudden pain, or if you suspect your eye is healing too slowly.
Drug Interactions
Bromfenac may interact with certain medicines, increasing the risk of side effects or affecting the healing process. Inform your doctor about all prescription, over-the-counter, and herbal medicines you are using, including:
- Steroid eye drops: Using Bromfenac alongside topical corticosteroid eye drops may increase the risk of slow eye healing and corneal complications.
- Blood thinners: Using these drops while taking oral blood thinners (like warfarin) may increase the risk of bleeding in the tissues of the eye after surgery.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
cautionThe interaction of alcohol with Bromfenac is unknown. Please consult a doctor before consuming alcohol with Bromfenac.
Pregnancy
cautionBromfenac is a Category C pregnancy drug, so it is not recommended for use during pregnancy in the last 3 months as it may cause harm to the unborn baby. Please consult a doctor if you are pregnant so that Bromfenac is prescribed only if the doctor thinks benefits outweigh risks.
Breast Feeding
safe if prescribedBromfenac may be safe to use in breastfeeding mothers if it is prescribed by a doctor.
Driving
cautionBromfenac may cause blurred vision for a short time immediately after using Bromfenac. So, drive only when your vision is clear after taking Bromfenac.
Liver
safe if prescribedIf you have any concerns regarding the use of Bromfenac in patients with liver problems, please consult a doctor.
Kidney
safe if prescribedIf you have any concerns regarding the use of Bromfenac in patients with kidney problems, please consult a doctor.
Children
unsafeBromfenac is not recommended for children as the safety and effectiveness were not established.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Protect your eyes from bright light: Wear sunglasses outdoors to shield your healing eyes from sunlight, wind, dust, and debris.
- Avoid rubbing your eyes: Rubbing your eyes can cause serious injury to the cornea or disrupt the healing process after surgery.
- Keep your eyes clean: Avoid swimming, using hot tubs, or getting water directly in your eyes while showering during your recovery period to prevent infections.
- Avoid eye makeup: Do not wear eye makeup, creams, or lotions near your eyes until your surgeon confirms that your eye has fully healed.
- Eat eye-healthy foods: Support your body's healing process by eating foods rich in vitamins A, C, and E, such as spinach, kale, citrus fruits, and fish.
Special Advise
Avoid wearing contact lenses while using Bromfenac as it may cause discoloration of soft contact lenses.
Don't rub your eyes for at least 1 month after cataract surgery.
Don't use tap water for washing eyes for at least 1 week after cataract surgery.
Wear sunglasses for bright light for at least 1 year.
If you have signs of vision loss, pain in the eye even after using painkillers, light flashes in front of your eyes, nausea, vomiting, or excessive coughing immediately contact your eye surgeon.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Cataract surgery is done to remove the natural lens of the eye that has become cloudy and replace it with an artificial lens to restore clear eyesight. Eye inflammation may occur in some patients after cataract surgery due to disruption of the blood-queous barrier, which causes the release of certain inflammatory mediators such as leukotrienes and prostaglandins. The pain, swelling and redness of the eye are normal after cataract surgery and are treated using topical corticosteroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
FAQs
Bromfenac is used to reduce eye inflammation after cataract surgery in adults.
Bromfenac contains Bromfenac that prevents the release of certain natural substances such as prostaglandins in the eye that cause pain and swelling. Thereby, helps in relieving eye pain and swelling after cataract surgery.
You are not recommended to wear contact lenses while using Bromfenac as it contains benzalkonium chloride, a preservative that changes the colour of the contact lens as it may be absorbed by a soft contact lens. Benzalkonium chloride also causes irritation in the eye especially if you have disorders of the cornea (transparent layer at the front of the eye) or dry eyes. Therefore, you are advised to remove contact lenses before applying Bromfenac and reinsert after 15 minutes of using Bromfenac. Also, inform your doctor if you experience pain, stinging or abnormal sensation in the eye after using Bromfenac.
You are recommended to maintain a minimum of 10-15 minutes time gap between using Bromfenac and other eye drops. However, please consult a doctor before using other medicines with Bromfenac.
Bromfenac may cause temporary blurred vision. Therefore, you are recommended to wait until your vision is clear before driving or operating heavy machinery.
You are not recommended to stop using Bromfenac without consulting your doctor as it may rarely flare-up inflammatory response such as retina swelling. Therefore, use Bromfenac for as long as your doctor has prescribed it, and if you experience any difficulty while taking Bromfenac, please consult your doctor.
No, Bromfenac need not be refrigerated. However, it should be stored at temperature not exceeding 25°C.
Lie down and tilt your head backwards. Pull your lower eyelid gently with your index finger to create a pocket. Administer the number of drops as advised by the doctor into the pocket of the lower eyelid. Close your eyes for 1-2 minutes. Please do not touch the container tip to the eye, eyelids, or surrounding areas as it may contaminate Bromfenac and cause eye infections.
If you have any of the following symptoms like, headache, eye redness, eye irritation (including burning or stinging), eye pain, eye allergy, or iritis (inflammation of the coloured area of your eye), you should contact your doctor immediately.
Avoid using other topical pain relievers while using Bromfenac as it may delay healing process. You should consult your doctor before using other topical pain relieving medicine along with Bromfenac.
The common side effects of Bromfenac are blurred vision, eye pain, and eye inflammation. If any of these symptoms persist or worsen please consult your doctor.
Mild, temporary burning or stinging is a common side effect that usually goes away within a minute or two. If the burning is severe, persists, or gets worse over time, stop using the drops and contact your healthcare provider. Talk to your doctor.
You should not use these eye drops if you have a known history of severe allergic reactions, asthma, or hives caused by aspirin or other NSAIDs. Talk to your doctor.
To prevent bacterial contamination and protect your eyes, you should discard the bottle 4 weeks after first opening it, even if there is still liquid left inside. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
No, Bromfenac is not an antibiotic and will not treat or cure an eye infection. It is used solely to reduce pain and inflammation. Talk to your doctor.
While the small amount of liquid in a single bottle is unlikely to cause serious harm if swallowed, you should seek immediate medical advice or contact a poison control centre for guidance. Talk to your doctor.
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