Questions to Ask Ophthalmology Programs
You'll hear "What questions do you have for us?" in every interview. No questions signals disinterest; generic questions signal laziness. Prepare five to seven per program, tailored to what you genuinely want to know. The most important targeting rule: ask faculty and residents different questions — residents give you the truth about daily life; faculty give you the vision.
Surgical training
- What do graduating residents' cataract numbers look like, and how early does hands-on time start?
- How is surgical responsibility graduated — what does the path from observer to primary surgeon look like?
- How would you describe the wet lab, and how much protected time do residents get there?
- What subspecialty surgical exposure do residents get — retina, glaucoma, plastics, cornea?
- How do attendings teach in the OR — is there a structured approach to surgical education?
Tip: evasive answers about surgical numbers are a red flag — strong programs brag about their surgical training.
Clinic and didactics
- How much clinic autonomy do residents have — do they run their own continuity clinics?
- What's the balance between comprehensive clinic and subspecialty rotations?
- How are didactics structured, and how do residents perform on the OKAPs?
- Is there an ophthalmology-specific orientation for the transition from intern year?
Call and wellness
- What does the call structure look like — home call, in-house, frequency?
- How are emergency department and inpatient consults handled?
- What's the culture around wellness — the real one, not the brochure version? (Ask residents.)
- What's the hardest part of being a resident here? (Ask residents — reliably honest answers.)
- Do residents feel supported on call, or is it sink-or-swim? (Ask residents.)
Research and fellowship
- What research support exists — protected time, funding, mentorship matching?
- Where have recent graduates matched for fellowship, and in which subspecialties?
- For someone curious about [your subspecialty interest], what would the mentorship path look like?
- Do residents present at national meetings, with travel support?
"If you could change one thing about the program, what would it be?" — asked of faculty, this reveals priorities better than any website. Pair it with "What's something about this program that isn't on the website?" for the most genuine moments of the day.
Program culture and practical matters
- How would you describe the resident-faculty relationship?
- How has the program changed recently, and where is it headed?
- What's the intern year like — how much ophthalmology exposure is there?
- What support exists for partners and families?
The closer
"Is there anything I haven't asked that you think I should know?" — save it for the end of a conversation that's gone well. It often produces the most genuine moment of the interview, and it tells the interviewer you were listening.
Mistakes to avoid
- Asking questions the website answers. "How many residents do you take?" tells them you didn't read the page.
- Asking residents the wrong questions. Residents give you the truth about daily life — spend your time there on culture, call, and honesty. Spend your faculty time on vision and direction.
- Running out of questions. Five to seven prepared per program, so you never stall when the question comes.
- Never evaluating them. You're choosing a three-year home too. A bad fit costs you, not them.
The full bank of thirty questions — plus nine red flags to watch for in ophthalmology programs — lives in the guide. Get the complete guide on Fiverr — or pick up the extended edition on Amazon.