[Should we reduce the number of ophthalmology residents in Spain?].

In recent months a debate has arisen among Spanish ophthalmologists about reducing the number of ophthalmology residents in Spain. It is difficult to give a straight answer, but the aim of this editorial is to contribute some information to the debate and shed some light in the search for an answer. The working environment of our specialty has changed dramatically in recent years. Five or six years ago, ophthalmologists who graduated from the MIR system (Médico Interno Residente, Resident Intern Medic) found a job without difficulty. Between 2002 and 2009, the expenses for health staff of the Autonomous Communities doubled while health expenditure increased 1.7 times. Nowadays, in the current adverse economic climate, all the Autonomous Communities are immersed in health expenditure cutbacks, including personnel. Vacant posts and retirements are not covered, new infrastructure plans are on hold, services are reorganized, training leaves are restricted, etc. The cutbacks are particularly affecting young physicians who graduated from their specialty in these difficult years and signify a change in the trend of the last decade, focused on increasing medical staff. On the other hand, private demand is also slack, which is foreseeable due to lower income and purchasing power of families in the context of the current crisis. Accordingly, MIR graduates