A compact system for performing laser ophthalmic surgery is disclosed. An embodiment of the system includes a mode-locked fiber oscillator-based ultra-short pulsed laser capable of producing laser pulses in the range of 1 nJ to 5 μJ at a pulse repetition rate of between 5 MHz and 25 MHz, a resonant optical scanner oscillating at a frequency of 200 Hz and 21000 Hz, a scan-line rotator, a movable XY-san device, a z-scan device, and a controller configured to coordinate with the other components of the system to produce one or more desired incision patterns. The system also includes compact visualization optics for in-process monitoring using a beam-splitter inside the cone of a patient interface used to fixate the patient's eye during surgery. The system can be configured such that eye surgery is performed while the patient is either sitting upright, or lying on his or her back.