Having surgery
Before you arrive
If you are scheduled for a general anaesthetic do not eat or drink anything for six hours before your operation. If admission has been scheduled for 8am, you need only avoid eating breakfast, but if your admission time is in the afternoon, you may eat a light breakfast and then nothing else until after your operation. If you are to have only a local injection or topical anaesthesia, a light meal up to four hours before is acceptable.
We suggest that you leave all valuables at home and do not wear eye make-up to hospital. As your eyes may be sensitive to sunlight after surgery, please take sunglasses with you. If you are taking medications other than to the eyes, you may continue to use these unless we advise to the contrary. Please take all current medications with you as your anaesthetist may wish to see them.
If you are staying in hospital overnight, please take night clothes and toiletries. Day case patients will not usually be required to change into a hospital gown, so you should wear loose-fitting comfortable clothes. We recommend that all patients arrange to be collected, as you should not drive yourself home following surgery.