<PAGE>


                                Registration No.
================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                                Washington, D.C.

                            ------------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      under
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                            ------------------------

                         MEDICAL ACTION INDUSTRIES INC.
             (Exact Name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)


                Delaware                                   11-2421849
    (State or other Jurisdiction of                      (I.R.S. Employer
     Incorporation or Organization)                     Identification No.)

      800 Prime Place, Hauppauge, New York                    11788
    (Address of Principal Executive Offices)               (Zip Code)


                            1994 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
                              (Full Title of Plan)


              RICHARD G. SATIN, VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL
                         MEDICAL ACTION INDUSTRIES INC.
                                 800 Prime Place
                            Hauppauge, New York 11788
                     (Name and Address of Agent for Service)


                                 (631) 231-4600
          (Telephone number, including area code, of Agent for Service)


                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
==================================================================================================================
                                                  Proposed Maximum       Proposed Maximum
Title of Securities to be      Amount to be      Offering Price Per     Aggregate Offering         Amount of
Registered                      Registered           Share (1)              Price (1)           Registration Fee
<S>                           <C>                     <C>                   <C>                      <C>
Common Stock, par value
$.001 per share               500,000 shs.(2)         $14.77                $7,385,000               $680
==================================================================================================================
</TABLE>

(1)  Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee, based
     upon the closing price of the Company's Common Stock on the NASDAQ-National
     Market System on November 11, 2003.

(2)  In addition, pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, this
     registration statement also covers an indeterminate amount of additional
     shares of Common Stock which may become issuable pursuant to anti-dilution
     and adjustment provisions of the Plan.


<PAGE>


PART II


INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT


ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

         The following documents filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") by Medical Action Industries Inc., a Delaware
corporation (the "Corporation" or the "Registrant"), are incorporated herein by
reference.

          (a)  The Corporation's Annual Report filed on Form 10-K for the fiscal
               year ended March 31, 2003.

          (b)  The Corporation's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal
               quarter ended June 30, 2003 and September 30, 2003.

          (c)  The description of the Corporation's common stock, par value
               $.001 per share, contained in the Company's Registration
               Statement filed on Form 8-A pursuant to Section 12 of the
               Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act").

         All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections
13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, prior to the
filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all remaining
securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then
remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this
Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such
documents. Any statement in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated
by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for the
purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained
herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to
be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any
statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified
or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.


ITEM 4.  DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES.

         Not applicable.


ITEM 5.  INTEREST OF NAMES EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.

         Mr. Richard G. Satin, Vice President of Operations, General Counsel and
Secretary of the Company. Mr. Satin has been granted 60,000 options under the
1994 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, at exercise prices ranging from $2.63 to
$13.30 per share and issued 10,000 restricted stock bonus shares.


                                       2
<PAGE>


ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

         Under provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws of the
Registrant, each person who is or was a director or officer of the Registrant
shall be indemnified by Registrant as of right to the full extent permitted or
authorized by the General Corporation Law of Delaware.

         Under such law, to the extent that such person is successful on the
merits of a defense of a suit or proceeding brought against him by reason of the
fact that he is a director or officer of Registrant, he shall be indemnified
against expenses (including attorneys' fees) reasonably incurred in connection
with such action.

         If unsuccessful in the defense of a third-party civil suit or a
criminal suit is settled, such a person shall be indemnified under such law
against both (1) expenses (including attorneys' fees) and (2) judgments, fines
and amounts paid in settlement if he acted in good faith and in a manner he
reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of
Registrant, and with respect to any criminal action, had no reasonable cause to
believe his conduct was unlawful.

         If unsuccessful in the defense of a suit brought by or in the right of
Registrant, or if such suit is settled, such a person shall be indemnified under
such law only against expenses (including attorneys' fees) incurred in the
defense or settlement of such suit if he acted in good faith and in a manner he
reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of
Registrant, except that if such a person is adjudicated to be liable in such
suit for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his duty to Registrant,
he cannot be made whole even for expenses unless the court determines that he is
fairly and reasonably entitled to be indemnified for such expenses.

ITEM 7.  EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED.

         Not applicable.

ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS.

         4.1     1994 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended

         5       Opinion and consent of Richard G. Satin, Vice President of
                 Operations, General Counsel and Secretary, relating to the
                 legality of securities under the 1994 Stock Incentive Plan

         23.1    Consent of Grant Thornton LLP

         23.2    Consent of Richard G. Satin, Vice President of Operations,
                 General Counsel and Secretary -included in his opinion filed as
                 Exhibit 5.





                                       3
<PAGE>



ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS.

         (a)   The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

             (1)    To file, during any period in which offers or sales are
                    being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration
                    statement;

             (i)    To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
                    the Securities Act of 1933;

             (ii)   To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
                    after the effective date of the registration statement (or
                    the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which,
                    individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental
                    change in the information set forth in the registration
                    statement;

             (iii)  To include any material information with respect to the
                    plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the
                    registration statement or any material change to such
                    information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the
registration statement is on Form S-3, Form S-8, and information required to be
included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in
periodic reports filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the
registration statement.

               (2)  That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
                    Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment
                    shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating
                    to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such
                    securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
                    bona fide offering thereof.

               (3)  To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
                    amendment any of the securities being registered which
                    remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

         (b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an
employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement that shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.


                                       4
<PAGE>


         (h) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling
person of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the
Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange
Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act
and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses
incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant
in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of
such issue.














                                       5
<PAGE>



SIGNATURES



         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in Hauppauge, New York on the 13th day of November, 2003.







                                      MEDICAL ACTION INDUSTRIES INC.


                                      By: /s/ Paul D. Meringolo
                                          -------------------------
                                          Paul D. Meringolo
                                          President








                                        6

<PAGE>


POWER OF ATTORNEY


Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this
Registration Statement has been signed on November 13, 2003 by the following
persons in the capacities indicated. Each person whose signature appears below
constitutes and appoints Paul D. Meringola, with full power of substitution, our
true and lawful attorney and agent to do any and all acts and things in our name
and on our behalf in our capacities indicated below which we may deem necessary
or advisable to enable Medical Action Industries Inc. to comply with the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any rules, regulations and requirements
of the Securities and Exchange Commission, in connection with this Registration
Statement including specifically, but not limited, to, power and authority to
sign for us or any of us in our names in the capacities stated below, any and
all amendments (including post-effective amendments) thereof; and we do hereby
ratify and confirm all that we shall do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.


         Signature             Title
         ---------             -----


/s/ Paul D. Meringolo          Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, President and
-------------------------      Director
Paul D. Meringolo


/s/ Richard G. Satin           Vice President of Operations, General Counsel and
-------------------------      Director (Principal Accounting Officer)
Richard G. Satin


/s/ Bernard Wengrover          Director
-------------------------
Bernard Wengrover


/s/ Philip F. Corso            Director
-------------------------
Philip F. Corso


/s/ Thomas A. Nicosia          Director
-------------------------
Thomas A. Nicosia







                                       7
<PAGE>



                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                                Washington, D.C.



                 ===============================================
                         MEDICAL ACTION INDUSTRIES INC.
                 ===============================================

                         Form S-8 Registration Statement

                ================================================

                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

                =================================================



Exhibit Description                                              Exhibit Number
-------------------                                              --------------

1994 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended                                       4.1

Opinion and Consent of Counsel                                                5

Consent of Grant Thornton LLP                                              23.1

Consent of Counsel                                                See Exhibit 5














                                       8
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{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "MEDICAL ACTION INDUSTRIES INC", "cik": "0000748270", "assigned-sic": "3842", "irs-number": "112421849", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "0331"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-110554", "film-number": "031008871"}, "business-address": {"street1": "800 PRIME PL", "city": "HAUPPAUGE", "state": "NY", "zip": "11788", "phone": "5162314600"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "150 MOTOR PKWY", "street2": "STE 205", "city": "HAUPPAUGE", "state": "NY", "zip": "11788"}}
Registration No.
================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                                Washington, D.C.

                            ------------------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      under
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                            ------------------------

                         MEDICAL ACTION INDUSTRIES INC.
             (Exact Name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)

                Delaware                                   11-2421849
    (State or other Jurisdiction of                      (I.R.S. Employer
     Incorporation or Organization)                     Identification No.)

      800 Prime Place, Hauppauge, New York                    11788
    (Address of Principal Executive Offices)               (Zip Code)

                            1994 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
                              (Full Title of Plan)

              RICHARD G. SATIN, VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL
                         MEDICAL ACTION INDUSTRIES INC.
                                 800 Prime Place
                            Hauppauge, New York 11788
                     (Name and Address of Agent for Service)

                                 (631) 231-4600
          (Telephone number, including area code, of Agent for Service)

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
==================================================================================================================
                                                  Proposed Maximum       Proposed Maximum
Title of Securities to be      Amount to be      Offering Price Per     Aggregate Offering         Amount of
Registered                      Registered           Share (1)              Price (1)           Registration Fee
Common Stock, par value
$.001 per share               500,000 shs.(2)         $14.77                $7,385,000               $680
==================================================================================================================
(1)  Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee, based
     upon the closing price of the Company's Common Stock on the NASDAQ-National
     Market System on November 11, 2003.

(2)  In addition, pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, this
     registration statement also covers an indeterminate amount of additional
     shares of Common Stock which may become issuable pursuant to anti-dilution
     and adjustment provisions of the Plan.
PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE.

         The following documents filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "Commission") by Medical Action Industries Inc., a Delaware
corporation (the "Corporation" or the "Registrant"), are incorporated herein by
reference.

          (a)  The Corporation's Annual Report filed on Form 10-K for the fiscal
               year ended March 31, 2003.

          (b)  The Corporation's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal
               quarter ended June 30, 2003 and September 30, 2003.

          (c)  The description of the Corporation's common stock, par value
               $.001 per share, contained in the Company's Registration
               Statement filed on Form 8-A pursuant to Section 12 of the
               Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act").

         All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections
13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, prior to the
filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all remaining
securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then
remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this
Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such
documents. Any statement in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated
by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for the
purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained
herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to
be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any
statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified
or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

ITEM 4.  DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES.

         Not applicable.

ITEM 5.  INTEREST OF NAMES EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.

         Mr. Richard G. Satin, Vice President of Operations, General Counsel and
Secretary of the Company. Mr. Satin has been granted 60,000 options under the
1994 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, at exercise prices ranging from $2.63 to
$13.30 per share and issued 10,000 restricted stock bonus shares.

                                       2
ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

         Under provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws of the
Registrant, each person who is or was a director or officer of the Registrant
shall be indemnified by Registrant as of right to the full extent permitted or
authorized by the General Corporation Law of Delaware.

         Under such law, to the extent that such person is successful on the
merits of a defense of a suit or proceeding brought against him by reason of the
fact that he is a director or officer of Registrant, he shall be indemnified
against expenses (including attorneys' fees) reasonably incurred in connection
with such action.

         If unsuccessful in the defense of a third-party civil suit or a
criminal suit is settled, such a person shall be indemnified under such law
against both (1) expenses (including attorneys' fees) and (2) judgments, fines
and amounts paid in settlement if he acted in good faith and in a manner he
reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of
Registrant, and with respect to any criminal action, had no reasonable cause to
believe his conduct was unlawful.

         If unsuccessful in the defense of a suit brought by or in the right of
Registrant, or if such suit is settled, such a person shall be indemnified under
such law only against expenses (including attorneys' fees) incurred in the
defense or settlement of such suit if he acted in good faith and in a manner he
reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of
Registrant, except that if such a person is adjudicated to be liable in such
suit for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his duty to Registrant,
he cannot be made whole even for expenses unless the court determines that he is
fairly and reasonably entitled to be indemnified for such expenses.

ITEM 7.  EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED.

         Not applicable.

ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS.

         4.1     1994 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended

         5       Opinion and consent of Richard G. Satin, Vice President of
                 Operations, General Counsel and Secretary, relating to the
                 legality of securities under the 1994 Stock Incentive Plan

         23.1    Consent of Grant Thornton LLP

         23.2    Consent of Richard G. Satin, Vice President of Operations,
                 General Counsel and Secretary -included in his opinion filed as
                 Exhibit 5.

                                       3
ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS.

         (a)   The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

             (1)    To file, during any period in which offers or sales are
                    being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration
                    statement;

             (i)    To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
                    the Securities Act of 1933;

             (ii)   To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
                    after the effective date of the registration statement (or
                    the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which,
                    individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental
                    change in the information set forth in the registration
                    statement;

             (iii)  To include any material information with respect to the
                    plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the
                    registration statement or any material change to such
                    information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the
registration statement is on Form S-3, Form S-8, and information required to be
included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in
periodic reports filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the
registration statement.

               (2)  That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
                    Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment
                    shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating
                    to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such
                    securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
                    bona fide offering thereof.

               (3)  To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
                    amendment any of the securities being registered which
                    remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

         (b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an
employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement that shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

                                       4
(h) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling
person of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the
Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange
Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act
and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses
incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant
in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of
such issue.

                                       5
SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in Hauppauge, New York on the 13th day of November, 2003.

                                      MEDICAL ACTION INDUSTRIES INC.

                                      By: /s/ Paul D. Meringolo
                                          -------------------------
                                          Paul D. Meringolo
                                          President

                                        6
POWER OF ATTORNEY

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this
Registration Statement has been signed on November 13, 2003 by the following
persons in the capacities indicated. Each person whose signature appears below
constitutes and appoints Paul D. Meringola, with full power of substitution, our
true and lawful attorney and agent to do any and all acts and things in our name
and on our behalf in our capacities indicated below which we may deem necessary
or advisable to enable Medical Action Industries Inc. to comply with the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any rules, regulations and requirements
of the Securities and Exchange Commission, in connection with this Registration
Statement including specifically, but not limited, to, power and authority to
sign for us or any of us in our names in the capacities stated below, any and
all amendments (including post-effective amendments) thereof; and we do hereby
ratify and confirm all that we shall do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

         Signature             Title
         ---------             -----

/s/ Paul D. Meringolo          Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, President and
-------------------------      Director
Paul D. Meringolo

/s/ Richard G. Satin           Vice President of Operations, General Counsel and
-------------------------      Director (Principal Accounting Officer)
Richard G. Satin

/s/ Bernard Wengrover          Director
-------------------------
Bernard Wengrover

/s/ Philip F. Corso            Director
-------------------------
Philip F. Corso

/s/ Thomas A. Nicosia          Director
-------------------------
Thomas A. Nicosia

                                       7
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                                Washington, D.C.

                 ===============================================
                         MEDICAL ACTION INDUSTRIES INC.
                 ===============================================

                         Form S-8 Registration Statement

                ================================================

                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

                =================================================

Exhibit Description                                              Exhibit Number
-------------------                                              --------------

1994 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended                                       4.1

Opinion and Consent of Counsel                                                5

Consent of Grant Thornton LLP                                              23.1

Consent of Counsel                                                See Exhibit 5

                                       8