Tauber J, et al. - In this descriptive qualitative study included four surgical sites in the northeastern US (a private ambulatory care center, private tertiary care center, private outpatient center, and federally run medical center for veterans), researchers examined the financial and environmental costs of unused pharmaceutical products following phacoemulsification surgery. Among the four centers, a total of 116 unique drugs were inspected. Investigators found that annual unused product cost estimates reached nearly $195,200 per site. The potential monthly environmental effect would reach 2498 kg of carbon dioxide equivalents, 10 μm of fine particulate matter or less in 4.5 kg equivalents in diameter, and 0.42 kg of nitrogen equivalents. This investigation suggests that relatively high financial and environmental costs arise from unused pharmaceutical products during phacoemulsification. If these results can be substantiated and demonstrated to be generalizable in the US or elsewhere, it can be valuable to lessen these expenses.