Duration: 18 months. First 4 months: General Ophthal posting.  You'll be put in their peripheral centre for a month too. You'll get to start SICS surgery then. 1 OT day per week. No exposure to Oculoplasty for the first 4 months.  Next 14 months you'll be posted in Oculoplasty department.  First two months will be just opd.  Oculoplasty OT starts from third month.     The regular 1 day SICS OT and 1 day oculoplasty OT will be the norm.  If there are less fellows in the dept, you'll get more OT days as you'll be assisting the consultants in OT.  Camps:   You will have to go for camps twice or thrice a month. It'll be on weekends. Guys get more number of camps and longer camps than the ladies (ahem). They go for camps as far away as Kodungallur, Munnar etc in Kerala and Hosur in Karnataka. But some long distance camps like in Ooty and Munnar are really enjoyable and worth it.  Academics:   No formal classes. There are classes for DNBs, none for fellows. You'll have to read on your own.  No exams at the end of your fellowship.  You'll be asked to take classes for the sisters during the fellowship.  You can present cases or studies for conferences. They allow you to attend conferences only if you are presenting something.  Consultants and exposure to Oculoplasty:   The consultants are pretty chill and usually good. An odd toxic consultant maybe there. They give you DCR initially and then the lid and orbit procedures. No exposure to ocular oncology. There's a separate 1 week posting at Aravind Madurai for that at the end of your fellowship.  Duties:   Emergency night duty once in a month or two months. Other fellows and DNBs also take night duties, so it'll be quite rare to get duty often.  Cataract exposure:   SICS only. No phaco.  It starts from 3rd/4th month during your general posting. The numbers will depend upon your speed and how you pick up. One cataract OT per week till the end of your fellowship.  Can expect to do around 100 to 200 SICS by the end of your fellowship. There will be a Consultant to teach you all the steps systematically. Timings:   Opd timings are usually from 7:30am to 6pm. Some days it might go beyond too, depending on patient load.  Two 15 mins break in the morning and afternoon.  A 1 hour lunch break at noon. The short breaks may be cut depending on opd patient load. The head sister of opd decides that for you.  Emergency duty is from 6pm to 8am the next day.  Camp timings are from 1pm on Fridays or Saturdays to Sunday 2pm. Depending on the camp and transport, it'll vary.  Accommodation:  They provide hostel accommodation. It's a 30 year old hostel, cramped and as small as opd cubicles. Most fellows and DNBs survive there.  You do get decent accommodation at nearby apartments. But the rent maybe high.  Water is all hard water. You can't take a head bath with it, unless you like stiff hair. Some fellows complain of hair loss too. You'll have to find some alternatives for that (the water, not the hair).  Food:   Hospital has a pathetic canteen which provides terrible vegetarian food. You can have it if you don't have any other choice. Most people order from outside or take a mess subscription. There are decent mess subscriptions available including Jain food. Area:   The hospital is in the outskirts of Coimbatore city near the airport, so flights are easy to catch. There's also an IMAX movie theatre nearby with a few decent restaurants, so weekend chill out plans do work. There's a few restobars in the more centre of the city like 10-15kms away. My take:   Aravind Coimbatore is better than Madurai for Oculoplasty as you get to do other procedures like lid/orbit procedures than just DCR. Aravind is a hospital with a name in Ophthalmology since the last 30-40 years and the sheer patient load is something that you'll never get anywhere but if you want to be up to date with the absolute latest procedures, Aravind can be lacking in some aspects.

Minto Eye Hospital is the Ophthalmic Hospital of BMCRI (Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute) 18 months fellowship. There is entrance exam and also exit exam. 4 fellows taken per session. They start giving you steps in VR surgeries within 2-3 months of joining. You may get some phacos also but only if you are already trained in them. It's a high volume centre. So you will get all variety of cases, clinical exposure is vast. Work environ is hectic but not toxic. Senior consultants are the ones who train you, initially you get diabetic VH, TRD, drop nucleus, dropped IOL, later even RRD. ROP posting will be there. So you get enough exposure and lasers too. No peripheral posting. Camps rarely. Night duties depend on the number of fellows.. usually weekly once or twice. Stipend 75,000/ month.

It's for 2 yrs Selection was by zoom interview.  I knew how to do SICS when I joined and I got to do around 150+ phacos including lots of topical phaco as well.  Training starts with SICS and then based on your progress, they move you to phaco. They let you operate all kinds of cataract and you are also allowed to manage complications but they will not train you specifically in it. Work starts at 8 am, finishes typically by 6.30 pm but in the initial 6 months, you will work late evenings. You don't get much off-time after work. Research participation is mandatory at NN so case workups and data collation works (excels, powerpoints etc) are something you are expected to pick up. It might feel crazy but it's balanced by their conference opportunities- you can attend national or international conferences as many as you want- and the plus is you get to represent NN at the conferences which builds your professional reputation. There are of course night duties, camp duties, Sunday duties. Almost all Sunday mornings are working- after morning Refractive rounds, the rest of the day is free. On the refractive side, I got plenty of hands on in LASIK, PRK, SMILE, INTACS, ICL, C3R. You also learn to work up for toric IOLs, how to select good candidates etc Leaves are not encouraged. Stipend is 56k per month. They require a 1 lac caution deposit upfront when you join and if you decide to drop out in between, you have to pay back all the stipend you got before you can get your certificates and leave the program.

2 yrs duration. Selection- first MCQ exam, after clearing that you have interview- questions on common retinal conditions (Kanski is good enough to prepare). 2 fellows taken every 3 months. NN (Narayana Nethralaya) has 6 centres but you get allotted mostly in NN-1 which is their main centre in Rajajinagar. First 3 months you are posted in B scan and you get intravit injections.  Next 3 months you are rotated between diff centres- op duty and lasers. During 1st 6 months, it's hectic and you have to work 8 am - 8 pm. After 6-8 months, you officially become a "senior", now you are fixed at your allotted centre and get posted with diff consultants every 1.5- 2 months. Work time also reduces 8- 6.30 pm. You start on retinal surgeries- you get hands-on and steps in all retina cases. Clinical op is good- all kinds of retinal conditions are seen, including rare ones. Work is hectic. You have fellow duty (on-call x 1.5 days at a stretch) every month, and then when you become a senior it is every alternate month. No offs for doing fellow duty, that's how it is.. but good thing is very few retinal emergencies come at night. Sundays duties are there- mostly alternate weeks. Lots of opportunities to do paper presentations- consultants are encouraging.  Good place for VR fellowship, at the end of 2 yrs you will be familiar with retinal surgeries but not exactly independent- still that's on you, you should join a place afterwards where you can refine your surg skills further. As in other fellowships at NN, you have to pay a caution deposit of 1 lac upfront- refunded at the end of fellowship. Forfeited if you leave in between. _______________________________ More details from another reviewer- Only NN 1 and 2 has VR fellowship NN 1 has mostly all the fellows. NN 2 had only 1 fellow. NN 1 has 10 VR consultants  NN 2 had only 2 VR consultants At our time, 2-3 fellows were taken every 6 months at NN 1 And NN 2, only 1 fellow was there for whole 2 yrs NN 1 has uvea and ROP exposure also- 1 month of uvea and 1 month ROP posting- no surgical hands-on during that time. __________________________

2 years duration. Most of the surgical training happens in their trust hospital. First 3 to 5 months you get SICS, then they start Phaco training. You start Phaco first with learning bimanual I&A, then you progress to phaco tunnel construction and then topical phaco in the last 4 to 6 months. You get around 150 - 250 cases in two years. You get exposure to all premium and latest IOLs in the market but no hands-on. Refractive department exposure is good and you will be doing few PRK, LASIK, SMILE, C3Rs as well. Expect to be busy with regards to research work. Good opportunities to present papers in all major national and international conferences. One minus for some fellows is that you won't be trained to handle special cases like RFIOL, anterior vitrectomy etc If you quit fellowship mid-way you will have to pay 5 lakhs and also return all the stipend earned. Some penalties- you are fined 10,000 for every nucleus drop.

Duration - 1 month  Starting 2-3 SICS will be given to assess our skills, based on that, you progress to Phaco.  If well versed with SICS, then 30-35 phaco cases can be done in 1 month duration.  They provide you stay in an apartment but drawback is, it is far away from the centre. In a week Monday and Saturday are for observation, rest 4 days are for surgical training.  They even make you practice on wax eyeballs.  Trainers are all skilled and do their job very well.  Starting they teach you divide and conquer and later chop and stop in the end.  Direct chop they will brief you about it theoretically . Fees something between 1-1.5 lacs

All fellowships at Prasad Netralaya get excellent exposure in Cataract Surgery.  Unlike many other institutes that wait till the last couple of months to give Phaco training, here we get to start our Phaco journey early depending on how we pick up our SICS skills.  We start with SICS in simple cases followed by difficult cases and managing complications.  Once we are proficient in that we go to Phaco- even as early as 3 months into the fellowship as well, that gives us more than a year's exposure in Phaco.  We are allowed complete free hands with cataract cases, no matter what kind of case it is (complicated/simple/ managing complications). Some exposure in refractive surgeries, premium IOLs.  Decent hands on in penetrating keratoplasty for cornea fellows. Please note, it's an extremely hectic schedule for 18 months.  There are also peripheral posting rotations.  PS: Cataract exposure is the same for fellows in all departments- Phacoref, Cornea, Retina, Glaucoma. If anyone is looking to learn cataract majorly- but also would like to acquire specialization fellowship as well- whether Cornea/ Retina/Glaucoma- for the degree and practice, it’s a good option.

Duration- 18 months, affiliated to RGUHS (Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences). There is entrance and exit exam. One of the very few institutes that train VR fellows for cataract (free hands for both SICS and Phaco). As far is retina is considered- Excellent staff with good knowledge, very good OPD load with variety of cases. Well equipped OPD and OT set up with high end machines.  Fellows get good chances for Lasers and Intravitreal injections.  Surgical chances in retina are not extensive. (Fellows get to do basic retina procedures hence there are no camp cases operated for retina surgeries and all are paid cases- unlike most fellowship institutes). ⁠All in all, Medical Retina experience is very good, surgical chances are slim. But fellows get to observe and assist all retina surgeries.  Coming to cataract surgeries- Retina fellows get near equal chances in cataract surgeries in comparison with Anterior Segment fellows.  3 - 4 night duties in a month that includes managing regular Ophthal casualties  ⁠Going to Camps are mandatory. ⁠Includes few months of Peripheral postings . Coming to academics, few teaching programs are there but mostly self learning  Pros- Extremely non toxic work environment.  Cons - Hectic days  Day typical starts at 8 and ends at 8 on a good  day.  Can start as early as 6 and end as late at 11 on some busy days.

Aravind's Tirunelveli Hospital is the centre of excellence for glaucoma in the Aravind eye care system. Admission here is based on 2 days interview cum observation, on joining one has to undergo one month orientation course followed by 2 yrs of glaucoma training.  First 3 months will be general posting and next 21 month in glaucoma.  One can expect unlimited number of SICS, around 75-80 SICS+trab, Phaco usually starts in the last 3 months and one will get 50 phacos (phaco+trab included).  Yag laser procedures are plenty, one can get SLT and MIGS procedures in the later part of fellowship based on their individual performance.  Initial exposure to GDD can also be expected.  OPD load is very heavy so patient management part will be very strong after the fellowship.  Academics is decent with bi-weekly journal clubs and regular classes.  Additional duties like camps, cataract surgery rounds and night duties are part of the fellowship and can get hectic at times.  Stipend is 40k for the first year and 50k for the second year.  Overall it's a good fellowship with lots of patient exposure and good amount of cutting.  The only problem is the very remote location of the hospital with limited scope of personal enjoyment.

They have two running Medical Retina short fellowships- • 2 months • 6 months  2 months Medical Retina program is paid training (fees now increased to 1.5 lacs)- you get a good number, even up to 5-6 lasers and 2-3 injections per day. 2 trainees taken every 2 months. Mornings will be dedicated to OP- get to see wide variety of retina cases- while afternoons are for procedures and OT. By the end of 2 months, you are well equipped to handle lasers and injections on your own. 6 months Medical Retina program is unpaid fellowship, you get much more hands-on. No cataract training included. Fellow will get well-versed with all retinal diagnostic machines and procedures (B scan, FFA etc but no OCT angiography as of now). Accommodation is provided in campus. No night calls per se but the hospital is open 24x7 so if any retina emergency cases come and you are in campus, you may be asked to see the patient. Timings are 8 am- 6 pm, usually does not go late, they let you off early if patients are finished. Stipend= 50,000/ month. Good option to consider if you are looking to do more than 2 months but not long duration like other 18 month Medical Retina fellowships.

Duration- 24 months Structure- ~1–2 months General Ophthalmology, ~1 month Uvea, Remaining period in Retina Phaco Training- not included in the official curriculum. Some fellows gain cataract surgery experience during general postings, especially if placed in peripheral centers. Retina surgical hands-on typically starts around the 4th month of the fellowship. Early months are focused on observation, assisting, and gaining clinical knowledge. You get mostly steps in surgeries, less chances to operate independent cases. Many fellows join after fellowship as Medical Officers (MOs) to gain more surgical experience. Clinical Exposure- extremely rich, almost every textbook case is seen, at least in follow-up if not in primary presentation. Cases include many managed by renowned retinal surgeons, providing unique learning opportunities. Work Environment- hectic across the board. Many fellows describe it as "hectic but educationally rewarding." Teaching and Mentorship- no fixed one-to-one mentoring. Training is distributed—you learn from a mix of consultants, fellows, and observation. Self-initiative plays a big role in learning. Hands-on Surgical Training- fellows typically perform 200–250 VR procedures independently by the end of the fellowship. The actual number may vary based on individual surgical aptitude and confidence. Includes common VR procedures. Peripheral Postings & On-Call Duties Peripheral postings in VR are now rare. Night duties: About once every 2 months Sunday duties: Around once every 3 months Camp duties are not routine during the retina fellowship

1. Duration of Fellowship Currently structured as a 24-month program within the Pediatric Ophthalmology department. Previously, the 18- or 24-month version included 6 months of general OPD postings at peripheral centers, primarily for those with less cataract numbers  2. Phaco Training No phacoemulsification surgeries are allotted to pediatric fellows. SICS slots are available once a week, though your turns may be reduced due to OPD crowd and internal politics. So don't take this fellowship if you want to do lot of adult cataracts.  However, you will be trained in: -Pediatric cataract vitrectomy -Bimanual I/A -Use of phaco probes (note: NOT full phaco surgeries) 3. Surgical Start Timeline Surgeries generally begin after 4 months, including: Pediatric cataracts Squint surgeries 4. Clinical Exposure Excellent exposure to a wide spectrum of cases, including textbook and rare presentations. Rotations include: Orbit Clinic 2 weeks, mainly observation, workup of paediatric oculoplasty cases, may get 1-2 probings also (if you request the MOs) Neuro-Ophthalmology- 1 month workup and present the cases to consultants. You will be expected to clear the OPD independently and cross check PG cases ROP screening 2 weeks Low Vision & CVI (Cortical Visual Impairment) Clinic posting for 2 weeks. But it's a part of Paeds clinic so you will be constantly involved  5. Work Environment Very hectic, especially during holidays and Saturdays. Some faculty are supportive. Your rapport with seniors can influence cataract OT and strabismus observation chances. When the OPD gets busy, fellow posted in OT can be called to OPD, so that tends to be frustrating (this was happening 2 years back.. hopefully better now). 6. Training Support Around the 3rd month, you receive 1 month of dedicated SICS training, usually mentored by a senior IOL fellow. In squint surgeries, your first 1–2 cases will be supervised by a consultant or senior fellow. After that, you’re mostly on your own, with occasional support. 7. Surgical Hands-On & Case Numbers Pediatric Cataracts Minimum: 25 cases Mostly developmental and traumatic cataracts (infant cases usually not given) Additional opportunities: Secondary IOLs Membranectomies consultants may give some steps in their cases also Squint Surgeries Horizontal squints: good numbers Inferior obliques: Good exposure Superior obliques: Few cases Advanced procedures (transpositions, tucks, transplants): case access depends on availability and luck. If the case gets posted on your OT day. But by the end of the fellowship you would at least workup and do some cases 8. Duties Cataract camps: Once a month School screening camps: 2-3 per month during particular months around the year  Night duties: Typically once a month. 9. Academics Interbranch journal clubs: Every 2 weeks Morning fellow classes: Conducted periodically This fellowship is definitely hectic and can be mentally draining at times, especially with the workload, occasional toxic behavior, and internal politics. But if you're someone who can look past the noise, stay focused on learning, and take initiative, it's a place that will shape you into a confident, independent paediatric ophthalmologist. You won’t get spoon-fed, but you’ll be exposed to a wide range of clinical and surgical cases If you’re willing to put in the work and make the most of what’s offered, this fellowship can truly lay a solid foundation for your career.