Can I have surgery on the day I arrive?
The assessment has to come first, and it cannot be skipped or replaced by a video call, because it is where your cornea is measured. Most visitors are assessed on one day and treated on the next, which means arriving a day before the appointment rather than on the morning of it.
- Subject
- International
- Topic
- How long to stay
- Kind of question
- Can I…
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
What this answer depends on
- How long you have been out of contact lenses
- Whether the clinic needs a second measurement visit
- How late in the day your flight arrives
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under International patients in How long to stay . 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.
- International patients International patients
- International patients How long to allow in the UAE
- International patients Travelling home after laser surgery
- International patients Follow-up after you get home
- International patients What can be done before you travel
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.
- 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