Can medication affect the eyes?
Some can. Steroid preparations can raise eye pressure and cause cataract over time, a few medicines affect the retina or the optic nerve, and several classes dry the ocular surface. Tell any eye clinician what you take, including anything prescribed by another doctor.
- Subject
- Eye health
- Topic
- General health & the eye
- Kind of question
- Other questions
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
What this answer depends on
- Whether the medicine is topical or systemic
- How long you have been taking it
- Whether you have a family history of glaucoma
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Everyday eye health in General health & the eye . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- Condition Glaucoma
- Condition Keratoconus
- Condition Retina and macula conditions
- Condition Diabetic eye disease
- Condition Eye infections, allergies and injuries
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- EyeSmart: eye health information for the public
Patient-facing material from the largest ophthalmology professional body, covering conditions, tests and treatments outside refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of non-refractive eye conditions; Describing what tests such as dilation and OCT involve.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- Cataracts in adults: management (NG77)
Clinical guidance on when cataract surgery is indicated, what should be discussed before it, and what follow-up is expected.
Used for When cataract surgery is considered appropriate rather than cosmetic timing; What patients should be told before cataract surgery.
Link checked 23 September 2026