You will visit our clinic a few weeks before the date of your surgery, to have a preoperative consultation with your surgeon. He will do a thorough assessment of your eyes and ask you questions about your current and past health, and will need to know about any allergies you may have, medications you are taking (including over the counter products e.g. aspirin, indomethacin or vitamin supplements), previous surgery, and whether you smoke. You may also be required to have a physical examination of your heart and lungs by your GP to make sure it is safe for you to have an anaesthetic. You may need to have some routine laboratory tests, such as urinalysis (tests of your urine), chest X-rays, or complete blood cell counts. These should reveal potential problems that might complicate the surgery if not detected and treated early. It is very important for the anaesthetist to have an up-to-date thyroid function test result. Please answer all questions completely and honestly as they are asked only for your own safety and wellbeing, so that your surgery can be planned as carefully as possible. If you are unsure of the names of any medications, bring them with you. You will be told whether or not to stop any medications at this preoperative clinic visit. For example, if you are taking aspirin-containing medicines or anticoagulants, they may need to be temporarily withdrawn or reduced in dose for three weeks before the procedure. If you can, try to stop smoking at least six to eight weeks prior to surgery.