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.

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.

It's technically 1.5 yrs long but they might ask you to work at one of their peripheral centres first for 6 months - 1 year, especially if your SICS numbers are low. Cornea in Madurai has the highest number of fellow intake so dept is crowded. Cataract surgery opportunities are variable between fellows, depends on your skill, speed and lack of complications. OT sisters have a big role in deciding which fellow will be called to operate. That said, corneal surgery numbers are more or less same for every fellow- they give at least 50 keratoplasties (including therapeutic & optical PKs). But you get only penetrating keratoplasties there. Generally no hands-on given for lamellar surgeries generally, except to 1 or 2 fellows based on the Chief's discretion. Ocular surface disorders like AMG, MMG done but no SLET. Clinical exposure is very good, you see almost every textbook case  Lots and lots of all kinds of corneal ulcers- you get fed up after a while. They have all the diagnostic equipments, you can learn anterior segment photography also. Surgically you get keratoplasties, C3Rs, pterygiums, conjunctival grafts, few corneal tear repairs, amniotic membrane grafting; no corneal rings. There is 1 week posting for fellows for Refractive procedures- no hands-on, only observation. In my time they did LASIK, PRK but there was no SMILE or any of the other latest refractive procedures.. don't know the state now.  They give you only SICS chances in Aravind, no Phaco training. I find this a drawback compared to Cornea programs in other places like MM Joshi or LVP that include phaco training within their fellowships. However, you can fill that lacuna with Aravind's paid short term phaco training after finishing fellowship.

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. __________________________

Exposure to all types of retina cases at Aravind is good, we will get lots of lasers and injections including in ROP cases, surgery number is also reasonable. 2 weeks uvea and ROP + ocular oncology training included, thereafter you will be going for ROP screening in the periphery where you will again see good number of ROPs.  At the end of fellowship you will be confident with basic cases but you won't get PDR membrane cases and macular hole (ILM peeling step). There are lot of fellows, surgery numbers may vary between fellows.  Work load is huge, but toxicity in the department is less. No single mentor, OT rotation is there.

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

Duration- 18 months. Starts with SICS in 3rd month, you might get around 400 SICS, it also depends on how the candidate performs. Phaco is taught only in last 4 months. Academics not much, mostly on you to learn and be updated. Phaco numbers are not fixed, you get phacos based on your progress with SICS.. also depends on your rapport with the Chief. There are times fellow may not get any phaco and continues with SICS for the whole fellowship. In such cases, they tell the fellow to stay on for one more year after the fellowship in order to advance to phaco training. Fellows on average get 55 phacos in their 18 months fellowship itself. Work is hectic, timings 7 am -7 pm. Fellows have night duties and have 2 working Sundays every month. They share duties with DNB residents. Fellow intake is on need basis, no specific time or number slots.

Duration: 18 months. First 6 months: general posting in the morning half.  Retina dept: Free hands in all lasers, investigations and seeing patients. Once a week online combined class would be there where all-India Sankara fellows and faculties join. Otherwise it's mostly self-learning. But if you are putting efforts from your side, medical retina learning is always possible in Sankara because of the free hands in patients. Retina department consultants are approachable and friendly. Though cataract OT side can get difficult to work with at times, retina department is chill. You will have to go for camps once or twice a month in the first 1 year. Night duty once in a month in the first 6 months. You get cataract (SICS) from 3rd month. The numbers will depend upon your speed and how you pick up. Phaco is given in the last 3 months. 1 per OT turn or so.  Can expect to do around 600 to 1000 SICS and 20 to 50 phacos by the end of your fellowship. There is no single trainer to teach you all the steps systematically. For a person who hasn't had much cataract exposure in PG and wants to do cataract as a consultant along with medical retina, this would be a good stepping stone. Though they might need few more months of doing phaco from some charitable hospital or so to perfect it. But if your cataract hands are already good, there wouldn't be much benefit doing this fellowship because you might not be able to upgrade your phaco skills even after 1.5 years. Duty timings are usually from 9am to 6pm unless you have extra duty which is rare. Work life balance is good. They don't provide accommodation. But will give you temporary stay for few weeks till you find your own. Hospital has a decent canteen which provide vegetarian food.

I did VR from Sankara Coimbatore. We were taken one fellow at a time in my time. The routine is in the morning you come early and see general op and finish all your pts as fast as possible because when Prabhu sir (main VR surgeon) arrives, he'll finish all his private patients and then go straight to OT and start operating.  So if you haven't managed to clear a good chunk of OP by then, good luck, you would miss chances to operate since not only was Prabhu sir good at retinal surgery but also incredibly fast.  He usually sped through retinal surgeries because he was more fond of doing the phaco cases that came after... which is why he was happy to give you steps and cases for retina pts when you went to OT. (Btw sir's phacos were excellent.)  He never hogged retinal surgeries for himself, that way it was great working with him since I got to do many types of retinal cases and got good hands-on. Sir is cool headed so not a hard man to work with. There are no classes or academics and OP is left entirely to you so you have to see all cases and dispose. You can discuss those you have doubts about with Prabhu sir and retain them if needed for Sir to see after OT. Since sir is a fast surgeon, we usually finished our days in good time and got free by 6. Which is unheard of in most VR fellowships since they are always the last of fellows to leave the hospital. Among the Sankaras, their Guntur branch (Andhra Pradesh) is the best when it comes to hands-on and academics. Everything is structured there but it's very competitive to get in. They don't take everyone. Plus their working hours are long. Only Coimbatore where I worked did we finish by 6, nowhere else in any of their other branches could that happen. I heard that Sankara (in general) has increased fellow intake now, taking fellows every 6 months so I'm not sure how it's going now. When I did it, it was just one fellow with Prabhu sir for entire year and that was good in terms of exposure and hands-on you got.

1.5 yrs long. Selection is random, you can apply and they call you on need basis.  Starts with SICS, once you are proficient you will advance to Phaco. Phaco is not delayed to 2nd year unlike in some other places. You'll get minimum of 100 phacos in 1.5 yrs (more if you master SICS sooner). Daily timings 8 - 6pm. Sundays usually off unless camp pts come- fellows will have to workup if DNB PGs not there. Regular classes + You are rotated between diff specialty depts, Cornea exposure is more extensive than other specialties. Stipend 30k, last 6 months 35k. Not too hectic, not toxic.

18 months Phaco training included in the program. Based on your SICS skills, you get to start phaco training early, even as early as 2nd month (this means they give you SICS in the 1st month itself). They take on need basis, selection is by interview. You are trained by whoever is most experienced surgeon at the time- this can be a 3rd yr PG, but if they have passed out then it will be the seniormost fellow training you. Lots and lots of camp cases and consultants operate only on private cases so camp OT falls on the PGs and fellows to finish. You get to operate on all kinds of cataract. Clinical exposure of cornea cases is good, lots of diff ulcers- it can get tiresome after a while. Surgical hands-on: you will be posted in another Chennai centre of the same hospital 2-3 times a week where you will get hands-on for diff refractive procedures like trans-PRK, SMILE, LASIK, Femto LASIK- here Dr Nishant (Cornea head) trains you. You will also be started on keratoplasties in the early months- you start step wise- putting few corneal sutures, then suture the whole cornea, then you will do the trephining and all other steps etc  You get to observe lamellar surgeries, although they are less in number, but Nishant sir is proactive in helping you learn it in wet lab. Work is not very hectic, unless the PGs are less for any reason, work finishes by 7 pm max. Night duties are shared with PGs, Sunday camp duties usually not there for fellows unless the PGs are not available (eg if exam-going) Enucleation calls have to be attended by the Cornea fellow. Workwise it is a bit hectic but there is no toxicity.   Disclosure - this hospital also trains many short term trainees for phaco every month which include foreign candidates, but the fellow's surgical chances are never compromised for this reason. In fact, since it's the senior PG or Fellow who trains the short-termers, the hospital is eager that their long term fellows master cataract at the earliest, so your surgical chances start early.