Cornea & Refractive Surgery Fellowship review @ Sadguru Netra Chikitsalaya (SNC), Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh

Duration of fellowship - 3 years (2 yrs fellowship & 1 yr consultancy as of 2026)

Selection- exam and interview both. Fellow intake is on need basis.

Fellows per session- varies from 2 to 8 as per need of the dept.

Phaco training included, cornea fellows share cataract OT with other fellows.

Phaco start at 1.5 years into fellowship. Cornea surgeries are given from the start. We start with pterygium and tear repairs and TPKs from first year itself. It starts with training first followed by independent surgeries based on your skill set.

Clinical case exposure- you see every textbook case and even more.

Work- hectic during winters.

Both senior consultants and senior fellows train you.

A fellow typically gets around 350-550 phacos by the time they finish.

By the end of the fellowship, 1-2 lamellar surgeries are given and sometimes even more also.

You get to operate advanced cataract cases as well (small pupil, PXF, vitrectomy etc)

No hands-on given for iris claw insertions though (done by IOL fellows).

No peripheral postings. Night calls are along with DNBs. Very rarely DNBs call at night if at all some confusion, otherwise we never usually get called for any emergency patient.

Academics- classes are thrice a week but many things are subject to self-learning. 

In Cornea we have morning 7.30 am rounds for designated doctors for 4 days and on the rest 2 days there is class at 7.30am.

Penalty is if we leave fellowship in the middle, we have to pay 2 lacs. 

After joining, you have the first month to decide if you will stay or not.

If you leave in 1st month, you are not charged any fine. But if you decide to quit anytime after the 1st month, the penalty of 2 lacs is in effect.

Caution deposit also- it is 1st month salary + 3k per month till end of fellowship.