I (reviewer) did my VR from Amrita, it was one of my best experiences. You won't believe, within just 6 months of joining I was doing an RD surgery independently. After 1.5 yrs, I was operating on sir's private cases and he would often leave me alone in OT so I could finish them on my own. I was posting my own cases by the end of fellowship and operating all of them as well. In the last 4 months I even got to do surgery for a baby with ROP. The duration is for 2 years and selection is via MCQ exam followed by interview  They take only 2 fellows per session Stipend is 50,000 Gopal sir (Dr Gopal Pillai) is a stellar retina surgeon, he would finish cases within 15-20 mins. He really changed my thinking and mindset in fellowship, he convinced us that retinal surgeries don't have to take hours. Seeing his example, it was natural we also motivated ourselves to follow the same lead. Daily work times are 9am - 5 pm but work would often go on till 6.30/ 7 pm. We had to take classes for UG and PG students also and our surgery times were in the afternoon 2-5 pm.. towards the end, I was routinely doing 4 cases just in those 3 hours.  Fellowship is a mayhem of sorts 😅 don't expect a lot of free time, Sundays are usually not free and if you are on call, you gave to attend to every emergency that comes.. which means if a corneal tear came, you had to operate, nobody else was going to come and do it.. that way you also get holistic hands-on and learn how to manage time and staff to keep OT running smoothly. Night calls were plenty and you had to attend as they came. There were no public holidays. But these things were ok for me, because I got so much hands-on and Gopal sir was a great mentor that I found my fellowship very rewarding. I'm acquainted with retina fellows in LVP (LV Prasad Hospital) and Aravind and believe me when I say my experience as VR fellow at Amrita was as good as theirs and even exceeded theirs in some aspects. In Aravind, you get only steps in retina surgeries and that too, only after 1 year and then after finishing 2 yrs of fellowship, most of them join back as MOs (medical officers) to get further hands-on. But I got to learn and be proficient in the common retinal surgeries in just the 2 years I spent in Amrita. I even got to operate on an ROP baby which in LVP is not given until you have done Paediatric Retina fellowship (which comes after the 3 yr VR fellowship). When I joined here, I expected I would learn mostly lasers and intravit injections, you know, that it wud be another proxy-medical retina program but that was not at all the case. VR fellowship in Amrita is a hidden gem . Very underrated. One of the good places to do VR fellowship in India, in my humble opinion.

Did my (reviewer) short term 2 week phaco fellowships from ICARE Noida in 2023. Did around 25 cases in those 2 weeks since I was already doing phaco before that as well. The training faculty at ICARE was excellent at my time, I got to complete most of my cases even if I got stuck at a few steps. I would get to see all the preop cases early in the morning and decide what the ideal cases were for me and I would be called specifically to see all my postoperative cases. I would sit after OT with the trainer to discuss the steps I didn't do well. I would suggest if you require just a short term fellowship, then ICARE Noida is good.

I (reviewer) feel this fellowship is good. It is for 18 months.  Selection by interview. No admission fees. No bond, no caution deposits. Stipend 70k (you get 62k in hand after TDS cut). Exposure is good in terms of OPD - you see charity cases twice a week and training is under Dr Ramanjit Sihota ma'am who is a great teacher and shares lot of knowledge to handle OPD and OT as well.  OT hands is okay. You get some cataract cases and Glaucoma cases (trabs, phaco-trabs etc).  You will be posted in Shroff's South Delhi centres - Kailash colony and Connaught place according to a roster.  Regular classes once a month you have to attend, there is an exam (theory+ practical viva) you have to give in the middle and before leaving as well, but they are good and manageable.  No night duties, timings are from 8/9 to 5 pm/7pm depending on patient load.  OT once a week - so hands on is okay.  Overall, a good learning experience as well as the brand name of Shroff Hospital comes on your CV elevating your chances as an upcoming Glaucoma consultant.

Duration 2 years  Phaco training starts after 8 months. Till then you do SICS. IOL fellows share cataract cases with specialty fellows. Initially there's 15-20 days of induction, then you can start OT in stepwise manner. A lot depends on how much surg exposure you had before in PG.  In IOL op, you only see comprehensive patients. You are supposed to manage all op cases independently. No exposure to speciality opd cases  Work is hectic and work environment is mostly not toxic. You'll find one odd person who is toxic. Rest are not toxic. But definitely hectic.  After initial 3 months training period, whosoever is the senior fellow/ consultant available trains you. They take over if you face any difficulty while operating and handle the case but they won't be there to supervise your whole case from start to finish since they have to finish their own cases too. But you can observe what they did on your case and keep learning. Also quality of surg training varies from consultant to consultant and peripheral centre to centre. Only other surgeries that IOL fellows get to do are pterygiums, maybe some tarsorraphies.   Phaco numbers depend on centre you are posted in (min 500 +). Hectic centres you get average of 1500 cases. No refractive training offered in this IOL fellowship. After 3 months of training in Delhi, you are permanently posted in periphery. So basically your whole fellowship is a peripheral posting where there are 2 consultants and around 10 fellows roughly. 1-2 camp duties a month. 1-2 night calls a month. Working hours starts at 8 am. So classes are online for IOL fellows as they are in periphery mostly. Class starts at 8 am via zoom on Tues and Wed. Note- They take 60k admission fees before you join, no refund. Stipend is 55k but you get around 30-35k in hand as they cut hostel charges and TDS and caution money also. Caution money they cut 10% x 6 months then 20 percent then 30 percent. But this caution money is returned at the end of 2 yrs after you finish.

They have short term SICS and phaco training- with 1/ 3/ 6 months options for either SICS or Phaco. For short term Phaco they have 3 months and 6 months course but specifically they want only experienced SICS surgeons - where 1000 cases done already. They are not taking novice surgeons with few hundred numbers. But these beginners can opt for long term IOL fellowship; just that short term training is off-limits to them ...but even for short term training, an initial interview will be done. All short training options (1 month, 3 months and 6 months) are only for efficient surgeons.

Recently started (2023 thereafter). Applications inviting fellows are put out on LinkedIn , selection is after interview with head. Duration= 2 yrs No entrance or exit exam. Usually 2 fellows/ session. Hands-on for retina cases are given early, sometimes in 1st month, usually in 2nd month but again, depends on your rapport with consultants and your demonstrated skill- all common retina surgeries operated here. Fellows are posted with diff units so OT days vary accordingly- 2 or 3 retina OT days per week/ unit. You are trained in ROP screening but ROP lasers usually not given. Cataract OT is on Fridays and if cases are in excess, they may call VR fellows to operate- usually given only SICS. Phacos may sometimes be given on request. Clinical exposure is good. Some Uvea and Onco exposure is also there. Work environ is not hectic, not toxic. There are night duties (2/week) and Sunday duties shared with PGs Weekly academic classes also + Stipend= 45k, increases to 55k in 2nd yr.

1 yr duration with 3 years of bond.  No bond if sponsored by Sightsavers or any other sponsoring body.  Other speciality fellows (Glaucoma & Cornea) get one cataract case per week.  Surgeries start with SICS then phacos. If you're proficient in SICS, they can start you on phaco in a week or two.  OT is 3 days weekly in first 6 months- one case each OT. Then daily OTs (cases variable depending on the fellow's ability).  Complicated cases are given during your bond period.  Daily social OPDs.  Work environment is good. Consultants are very approachable.  You do your surgeries under different consultants on the days of the week. Consultants are there to help or take over the case when required.  Will be posted in Susrut branches within Kolkata. Duty hours from 9 - 5/6 pm.  2 emergency duties per month. Camp duties.  No dedicated classes for fellows. Encouraged to attend DNB classes which are mostly after 4/5 pm. Mostly self learning.  No caution deposits. Foreign trainees (Saudi ophthalmology residents) intake during the peak cataract season. They do about 2-3 cases/day. Sometimes take up the fellows' cases when cases are less. During fellowship, Stipend 80- 85k. During bond period, 1.5 lacs salary with increments.

They have only Cornea program at this hospital, no other fellowships.  Usually 1 year long but tenure is decided based on your experience at the time of interview with Dr Samar Basak, head of Cornea (for eg, someone just out of PG without much specialty exposure may be asked to do fellowship for 2 years). This is a purely Cornea fellowship, no refractive or cataract training. Clinical exposure is good. No camp cases, all private patients- even then fellows can expect to get an average of 50-100 penetrating keratoplasties. Hands-on starts usually after first 2 months and progresses step-wise- you train in wet lab first and when Basak sir feels you are ready, then he moves you to the OT list. Lamellar surgeries also done- but fellows don't get hands-on, only observation.  Last month of fellowship will see you observing refractive procedures (no hands-on). If you are a private practitioner and interested in setting up eye bank services for your hospital, then this is a good program.

24 months duration. You get ample hands-on and are rotated across all speciality depts so when posted in other depts you may also get chances to do their surgeries as well if interested. Recent (2024) Phaco-Ref fellow had done some 100 SICS in PG before joining (he was covid batch) and he has done around 600+ phacos independently till now.. also doing LASIK independently so they give you good hands-on in refractive procedures as well. When posted in other specialities, he got to do independent phaco-trab, retinal lasers and injections and has even been offered steps in retinal surgery (like making ports for PPV). You also get hands-on in oculoplastic procedures, DCR, even squint surgeries.  Work timings across all ASG centres is 9-9 (am to pm). Sundays duties are there, you get weekly offs accordingly. Work is not hectic and definitely not toxic, seniors and consultants are very friendly and approachable. Good program overall.

- 1 year fellowship. - Pure phaco fellowship, no SICS. - 1 fellow per session- taken twice a year (Jan, July). - Selection- interview based. - You get minimum 300 phacos. - They start phaco training from 2nd-3rd month. - Free campus accommodation. - Stipend 20,000/ month. - Wet lab available. - Daily OT. - Regular theory classes. - Compulsory 3 year bond after fellowship.

- Started in 2023. - Eligibility- MS/ DNB. - They have fellowships in Glaucoma, Orbit, Paediatric Ophthalmology, Community Ophthalmology, Uvea & Med Retina. - No fellowships in Cornea/ Surgical Retina (VR) as of 2025. - All fellowships are 2 years long. - Selection- Entrance exam followed by interview. - There is an exit exam. - Only 1 seat per specialty per year. - Fellowship is hectic, clinical exposure is good. - All fellows get Phaco training. If you are not good in SICS, then they will make you master that first. * Good academics- structured seminars, journal clubs, case presentations etc - Some programs require you to do research projects.  Glaucoma - Clinical exposure is good. - Also get training in lasers (PI, suturolysis, iridoplasty etc). - Glaucoma fellows get hands-on in SICS trabs, Phaco trabs, cyclodestructive procedures - No hands-on for MIGS/ surgical glaucoma devices  Uvea and Medical Retina - Fellows get trained in lasers, intravitreal injections, ROP screening, also operate on complicated cataracts. - Fellows don't get ROP lasers because they are done by the VR dept. - There are postings in other depts- Rheumatology, Infectious Diseases, Micro, Patho, Surg Retina etc. Paediatric Ophthalmology  - Good clinical exposure. - Fellows get hands-on in paediatric squint, cataract, NLD probing etc. - No hands-on for paediatric oncology but you get to observe management of retinoblastoma cases. Community & Comprehensive Ophthalmology  - Involved with outreach ops and community centres and camps. - Lots of field work and surveys. - Have to do a research based project during the fellowship. - Clinical rotations through general units every week, specialty rotations in 2nd yr. - Fellows get hands-on for SICS and phaco, pterygiums, lasers, intravitreal anti-vegfs. Orbit & Lacrimal Surgery - Hands-on is limited, mostly assisting and observation-based. - You have to do a thesis/ scientific project during this course.

It's a purely cataract fellowship. I did it for 1 year. The op load is not busy so they take only 2-3 fellows per year. Selection is by interview. Stipend was 40,000. They only take in as fellows who have done at least 750 SICS beforehand- this is minimum requirement. They start you on SICS and then progress from there. I ended up operating 2000+ SICS and 500 phacos. It's a good place to do if you want more case numbers and you're looking only for cataract. Also, this is a purely SICS and phaco fellowship, there is no refractive training here. You get to operate all kinds of cataract and also do topical phaco as well.  Sunday duties and night duties are on rotation. No camp duties.