Outpatient cataract surgery by ophthalmology residents in a county hospital.

As more people come to depend on public hospitals for health care, fewer inpatient beds are available for elective ocular surgery. At our county hospital, ophthalmology residents with faculty supervision have successfully performed cataract surgery on an outpatient basis. The postoperative outcomes of these outpatients are similar to those of a corresponding inpatient population. Outpatient cataract surgery can preserve the quality of patient care while providing potential advantages.