Cornea & Refractive Surgery Fellowship review @ Agarwal Eye Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Duration 2 yrs

Selection= MCQ exam+ interview

No exit exam

There is internal exam every 3 months for in-house fellows- only theory, no practical.

Stipend 40k

1 fellow taken every 6 months

You get at least 100 phacos, more usually.

Phaco training starts from 1st month itself, 1-2 cases per week, you are taught supracapsular phaco technique (cataract prolapsed out of bag and emulsified in AC).

There's a 1 month peripheral posting at their Vellore branch where you do much more phaco cases (2 nos/day)

1st 3 months at the main Chennai hospital is mostly OP and weekly OT duties (blocking pts, prepping pre-op files etc)

After 3 months, you are given corneal surgeries, for keratoplasties (KPs) they start with steps in graft suturing

You get around 25-30 KPs (both therapeutic & optical), some get even 50.

Also get hands-on for ocular surface procedures, AMG, SLET etc 

After 8-9 months, based on your skill, you get to do independent KPs.

Lamellar surgeries- the main centre does not do many DALK, it's mostly CAIRS.

No DSEK/ DMEK either, only PDEK.

You will get steps in lamellar surgeries in last 6 months.

Once you learn phaco, your next posting at the Vellore branch will teach you how to do phaco in bag so you can use that opportunity to wean out of the supracapsular technique.. but then back at the main centre, it's on you to perfect it.. fellows may tend to stick to the supracapsular technique.

You also get advanced cataract cases, plus training for secondary IOLs, glued IOLs and vitrectomy (both ant and post).

Refrac training also + 

You get hands-on for SMILE, PRK, femtoLASIK

Work timings 8.30 - 6 pm

Initial 3-6 months you will have to come early for OT duty, around 7 am 

Evening duties (OP till 8 pm) once per month, same for night duties and Sunday duties 

Academics- classes happen based on how light OP is, usually includes fellows + PGs

No admission fees.

No bond money to be paid if you quit midway.