Which medications do I need to tell the clinic about?
All of them, including anything you take occasionally. Two groups matter most: medicines that affect bleeding, and medicines that affect healing or the ocular surface, such as some acne treatments and certain hormonal medicines.
- Subject
- Surgery journey
- Topic
- Preparation
- Kind of question
- Other questions
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
Tell the clinic about supplements too. Several are sold as natural and are not inert, and the ones that affect bleeding are the ones a surgeon most wants to know about before an operation, however small.
What this answer depends on
- Whether the medicine affects clotting
- Whether it affects the tear film
- Whether it is prescribed by another doctor who should be consulted
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under The surgery journey in Preparation . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
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.
- Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)
The equivalent clinical reference chapter for LASIK, used so that comparisons describe both procedures symmetrically.
Used for How LASIK creates and manages a corneal flap; LASIK complication categories.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- DHA circular on the scope of practice for ophthalmologists performing laser refractive surgery
A Dubai Health Authority circular addressing how laser refractive surgery sits within the licensed scope of practice for ophthalmologists in Dubai.
Used for Explaining that refractive surgery is a regulated activity in Dubai.
Link checked 22 September 2026