Duration 2 years  1 fellow taken every 3 months Stipend 40k in 1st yr, 50k in 2nd yr. OT starts after 3 months, you start with SICS. First 10 SICS happen in a training OT with an SICS trainer and then you are posted in regular OT and given 2 OT turns per week. You have only 2 turns and some times you may miss out on a turn because you'll be posted for camp or asked to go to some dept to help cover their OP when it gets busy. So first 6 months can feel frustrating but it's a phase all fellows go through. But after those 6 months, you start getting called more regularly (still 2 OT turns per week only) and the no of cases given per OT increases gradually based on how well you pick up. They give you phaco training when 2nd yr starts but phaco turns again become haphazard. But that changes in the last 6 months when they start calling you for phaco more regularly and give you more cases per turn. The promised numbers are 1000 SICS (you will do 2000/+ in 2 yrs) and 100 phacos (can cross 100 also)- these are normal NS2 cataracts.   Advanced cases for phaco and ant vitrectomy are not given during the fellowship.. those can be mastered when you join as Medical Officer (MO) for 1 year. Compared to Madurai, your surgical chances as an MO are better in Coimbatore since the OT sisters push you to do more plus your senior mentors also encourage the same thing. Also since you are training PGs and fellows, your fine-tune your skills very well. OP is very hectic, as mentioned before you may be asked to go to help out in other depts. There are also 1-month speciality postings in the 2nd yr of fellowship and during those postings you may even get procedures like intravit injections or laser PIs based on interest you show. Camps 1-2/month, night duties 1/month, Sunday duties once every other month or even later. Work timings 7.30-6 pm Academics- regular classes and IOL forums happen weekly.

2 years long 1 fellow taken per session Stipend 50k Phaco training included 1st yr SICS, 2nd yr Phaco (you get 2 cases/ week) Good OP exposure. Surg hands-on is a bit limited- some 20 PKs (mostly steps) Fellow also gets hands-on for AMGs, pterygiums, C3Rs Lamellar exposure + but no hands-on  Refrac exposure + but no hands-on Camp duties once/ every 2 months Night duties 3-4/ month. All night duties are as 2nd on call with PGs. Sunday duties 1/month Have to attend enucleation calls. Academics- regular classes once a week.

Duration 18 months 2 fellows taken/session Stipend 50k Selection for very 1st batch was by interview but next batch fellows were selected on recommendations given by senior professors 1 fellow is posted for 1 yr in IOL while the other fellow works 6 months in MR after which both switch IOL part of fellowship 1 year duration. OT is 3 days/ week (Tues, Thurs, Sat) and you get 1 case per OT, number increases as speed and skill picks up.  Starts with SICS and then as soon as you have mastered it, you move on to phaco. Phaco training can start after 6 months, again 1 case per OT (if you already know SICS well, your phaco hands-on starts earlier) 1st batch fellows did some 100+ SICS over 6 months and then 60 phacos over next 6 months. On non-OT days, work starts from 8.30, goes till 6.30. In OP, you are with Sai sir (Dr Saikumar) working up and seeing sir's pts.   On OT days you have to be in OT by 7.30 and while OT is over by 3, work gets over only by 6. Sunday post-op rounds to be done by the IOL fellow. MR part of fellowship 6 months duration. You get good amount of lasers (PRP, barrage) and injections (intravitreals, ozurdex implants) Common to both fellows: Sunday calls (1/month) and night calls (3/month as 2nd on call to PGs) are also there. Fellows go for Sunday camps every alternate month. No peripheral postings. Overall, a good fellowship to get trained in phaco while also picking up medical retina skills.

Duration 18 months 2 fellows taken every 6 months Admission fee of 2 lacs taken- not refunded  Stipend 75k (you get whole amount in hand, no TDS cut or other cuts) Accommodation not provided, they may arrange some family flats a little far away from the hospital where either family/ 2-3 fellows share a flat Nethradhama has a trust hospital where fellows do their surgeries, the main hospital services private pts so independent cases are never given there, only steps. Cataract hands-on is there but no phaco training. Start with SICS in the 1st month, more cases given as you get proficient. You also get to operate advanced cases (small pupil, PXF etc) since the phacoref fellows tend to take the good, NS2 well dilating pupils leaving the "bad" cases for glaucoma fellows to operate.. but that bodes well for the glaucoma fellow ultimately. (Btw every specialty dept in Nethradhama takes 2-3 fellows every 6 months but PhacoRef dept has the largest number of fellows- around 24 at any point of time, since they take 4-6 fellows every 6 months) Trabs are started from 4th month onwards, usually combined SICS trabs. You get to learn steps like conj suturing when consultants train you in private hosp OT but when you go to the camp side, there are no glaucoma consultants or seniors there to supervise/ train you. Camp OT has mostly phaco and SICS trainers and they cannot guide you if you plan to do trab. As a result, most glaucoma fellows do mostly cataracts in camp OT. This means all the SICS cases in the camp side plus the steps they got for trab cases in the private side constitute majority of the glaucoma fellow's surgical experience over 18 months. Work environment- not hectic unless you're the only fellow (ie, if other fellows are on camps/ leave/ OT etc) Dept has 2 glaucoma consultants, both are approachable  Work timings 8-6 pm You get to see MIGS, GATT when they are done but no hands-on given except maybe to implant 2-3 i-Stents (depends on your luck). Sunday duties once every 6 weeks, night calls once every 2 weeks (not busy) and camps 1-2 times a week Academics- regular classes every Wed Monetary Penalties are there- Fine of 5 lacs imposed if you quit fellowship midway. Every nucleus drop or IOL drop- fellow charged 10,000/- per case Every camp pt OT cancel- 5,000/- (taken from the fellow who went as camp doctor)

Duration 2 years 2 fellows taken every 2 yrs Stipend 50k Selection by interview No phaco training. There are 4 retina consultants but fellow training mainly happens under Dr Divya (paediatric retina surgeon).   When they start hands-on depends on your surg skill, if your tissue handling is good you can start getting ports and sutures in 1st month itself. Else your initial 3-4 months will be spent observing and assisting. Lots of free hands-on for lasers and injections. You are given mostly steps in retinal surgeries till the end of fellowship. Because all patients are paying pts, the scope to do full cases independently is zero. But depending on how you pick up steps, you will get to do more and more steps in surgeries.. short of doing it entirely yourself. You get hands-on for everything, VH, mac holes, RD surgeries etc.. TRD cases are routinely not given to fellows. Clinical op exposure is good, wide variety of cases+  Night duties once a week, Sunday duty once a month, camp duties once every 2 months. Academics- no regular classes, mostly self learning. ROP exposure is limited to learning ROP screening, since the paediatric hospital is a separate building.. No hands-on given for lasers or injections in ROP babies.  Note - they take an admission fee before you join fellowship which is not refunded- 1 lac for 2 yr fellowship, there are rumours of it increasing to 2 lacs from 2026 onwards.

Duration 18 months Selection exam+ interview Under RGUHS so there is an exit exam. You start with SICS in camp pts and once you become proficient, you become trainer to junior fellows and PGs.. next stage is they give you SICS in private pts.. then based on your skill and dexterity, they start phaco soon after. Phaco training usually starts in first year or at least by the end of 1st yr. Cataract OT runs every day Camps also every day (sometimes even 2-3 in a day) Before moving to phaco, they also teach you to do ant vitrectomy and put iris claws. Some penalties- if a normal cataract camp pt ends up requiring iris claw lenses due to complications, the fellow has to pay the extra cost. If you use too much visco (2+), might also have to pay a nominal amount. You get good number of phacos, around 200+ with progression to topical phacos by the end. Refractive exposure ++, may get to do an occasional PRK or SMILE. Work environment very hectic but not toxic. Peripheral postings to other centres are there. Night duties and Sunday calls + with turns depending on no of fellows.

Duration 18 months Selection- MCQ exam + interview  No exit exam They take 2-3 fellows per session Stipend 30k first 6 months, 40k next 6 months, 50k last 6 months.  Phaco training included. They start surgeries usually after 3-4 months, you get lots of trabs- plain and combined. You also do cataracts, if you're good in SICS, your phaco training starts early. You get lots of lasers, also get MIGS towards the end of fellowship- they give you few cases to operate independently as well. They also give you steps in AGV surgeries as well. OP- you see wide variety of cases, very hectic. Academics- regular classes+ Plus fellows have to attend DNB PGs classes also (8 am daily). Work timings 8-6 pm. There are 6-8 weeks of peripheral posting where also you get cataracts and trabs to operate. Monthly Sunday duties, enucleation calls also (required of all specialty fellows, not just Cornea fellows).

Duration 1.5 yrs Stipend 50k 2 fellows taken per session under RGUHS but if they don't get any fellows, they take what is known as "house fellows" who do the same fellowship but only for 12 months. Selection- MCQ exam + interview  Under RGUHS so there is an exit exam Cataract cases given but only SICS, no phaco You start with SICS, initially 1-2 cases per ot One OT per week Cornea OT is twice a week You start with cataracts in 2nd month Cornea side, you start with simpler surgeries- pterygiums, C3R, AMG etc  Gradually you get hands-on for therapeutic KPs and optical KPs It's mostly steps in keratoplasties till the end, rare to get to do independent cases Work timings 8.30 - 6 pm  Sundays usually off except for 1 Sunday duty or 1 Sunday camp per month Night duties once every 10 days (depending on how many DNBs and fellows there are)- fellows are first call but calls are never busy. Peripheral postings at 2 branches where you have to see OP, no OT there. Posting may be for a week or 3 days depending which place you are sent. But they compensate for this lost week by giving you more cases in the next OT. No refractive procedures done at the main hospital.  Only PRK done and that too by the seniormost consultant at an attached hospital elsewhere- cornea fellows are posted by turn and may get hands-on for PRK (depends on fellow's skill and luck).

(This is diff from their IOL/ Gen Ophthal fellowship which is purely SICS fellowship with 5-10 phacos in last month.) Also this is strictly a cataract fellowship , no refractive training. Duration 1.5 yrs You are promised 250 SICS and 100 phacos Stipend 50k 2 fellows taken per session Selection- MCQ exam + interview  Under RGUHS so there is an exit exam You start with SICS, initially 1-2 cases per OT. One OT per week. Depending on how well you pick up and your speed, they give more, some 5-6 cases/ OT. Work timings 8.30 - 6 pm  Sundays usually off except for 1 Sunday duty or 1 Sunday camp per month Night duties once every 10 days (depending on how many DNBs and fellows there are)- fellows are first call but calls are never busy. Peripheral postings at 2 of their branches where you have to see OP, no OT there. Posting may be for a week or 3 days depending which place you are sent. But they compensate for this lost week by giving you more cases in the next OT. No refractive procedures done here. No complication management or advanced cataract cases given, but you get those if you continue after fellowship.

2 years duration  Selection by Interview- fixed intake, twice in a year Stipend 30k No: of fellows taken is variable depending on their needs, generally two. Includes phaco training. Supracapsular phaco is done here. ( Admin note - Phaco technique in Agarwal's is not the standard taught in other hospitals, here they do what is called Supracapsular phaco where the cataract is popped out of the bag and then emulsified in AC.) Not really sure how seniors who have passed out with supracapsular technique are faring outside. Most already know other phaco techniques before joining or join back at Agarwal's after the fellowship.   Hands-on starts after 6 months, stepwise progression to individual cases, Senior consultants train you. Ocular tumors and pediatric ROP cases exposure is lesser. Hectic yes. Not sure I can quantify the numbers for VR fellows, but definitely more than sufficient .  A Medical Retina person would get around 300-500 lasers, and about 25-50 injections over a 6 month period.  Whereas a VR would get double that in the same period and more when considering 18 months are still left. Good & experienced VR surgeons and Trainers Surgical cases variety and volume are good too but subject to number of Foreign/Short term trainees, if they are more, then in-house fellows get lesser chances. Among retinal surgeries, Vit hemorrhage forms the major bulk, followed by ERM, TRD, RRD and macular holes after one reaches sufficient level of competence. Secondary IOLs and nucleus drops too.  But hands-on for these (secondary IOLs, nucleus drops) are shared also with every other speciality fellow  in Agarwal's, since Amar sir (Dr Amar Agarwal) believes a competent phaco surgeon should know the above.  ROP exposure is very minimal, no hands-on for lasers & intravit injections. Plenty of peripheral postings are there. Because Agarwal's is one of the faster expanding corporate hospitals, fellows can find themselves suddenly posted without notice for duties at peripheral centres. Camp duties once a month, night duties once a month Classes are there but are not very regular . Timings 8:30 to 6 pm with a caveat that OT sometimes starts at 6:30 am too.

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.

3 yrs duration Phaco training included  2-3 fellows taken per session, sometimes more based on need Selection by exam + interview  First 1.5 yrs you do cataracts (SICS) and are posted in diff speciality depts- only one rotation thru all depts.. SICS training begins 1 month after joining. Phaco starts after 18 months, you are given Alcon training first week and then the consultants take over training, can expect at least 500 phacos. Paed surgeries are also started simultaneously after 18 months, step wise. You get hands-on for both simple and complex squint cases- minumum 30 cases. Paed cataracts are also given, mostly older kids and those cases done under LA. Younger kids are operated solely by senior consultants. Can expect at least 30-40 paed cataracts. Very very hectic OP but no toxicity OT runs long, till 7 pm sometimes even 8 pm Clinical OP is good- you see every textbook case Regular classes + (3/ week) You also get Neuro-Ophthal exposure since they are seen by the Paed Ophthal dept Paed glaucoma cases are also handled by them- will get exposure to paediatric trabs, AGVs etc (but may not get hands-on for this) Stipend 50k in 1st yr, 60k in 2nd yr, 70k in 3rd yr No ROPs seen in the dept but you can observe in your Retina posting Paed DCRs and NLD probings are done by Oculoplasty but they call Paed Ophthal fellows/ consultants also when operating. Note-  as mentioned in the other SNC reviews, the 1st month you join is observation period, if you feel you cannot continue with the fellowship, you can leave without paying any penalty. But if you leave any time after 1 month, you will have to pay 2 lacs. They also take a caution deposit (deduct a certain percent from your salary till the end of fellowship) which is returned after you finish. Another Note-  The reviewer wanted to particularly mention that life in the SNC campus is good, they've got a clubhouse and other sports and entertainment aspects so fellows definitely have options for leisure after work. It's not a dead zone in campus after working hours.