18 months Fellowship  Selection- MCQ exam followed by interview  2 fellows/ year Fellow intake every Jan, July Stipend 55k No phaco training but you get to operate cataracts (SICS) First month- orientation- shadow posting 1 month posting in Retina 2 months in Neuro Ophthal  1 month in Oculoplasty  After this you're in Paed Ophthal dept and posted with consultants First 6 months you do mostly SICS (Blumenthal technique used here) You have OT twice a week First 6 months also is when you do research/ paper work, one day per week is allotted for this (tends to be the 'day off' for the consultant you are posted with) You get mostly squints and some paed cataracts  Squints- mostly simple squints, R&Rs, plications- you get around 30 cases You are usually given only 1 muscle/ 1 eye to operate in squints- till the end of fellowship No independent cases given  Very rarely you might get a free/camp case to do 'independently' Paed cataracts, you get around 5-10 cases  Work timings 8-5 pm Hectic but not toxic Academics- squint meet weekly, mostly journal clubs Last 3 months are when you become SR and see OP independently and post cases to your name You exit as someone with good exposure to clinical paed ophthal but surgical finessing still required post fellowship. Also, no phaco training.

[This fellowship is different from their exclusive Medical Retina fellowship which is 1 year.] 2 years duration Medical Retina 1 year Uvea posting 1 year Stipend 55k Uvea posting- very good Uvea exposure.. opd wise.. is great Sx chance you get weekly once in Guindy branch.. One month only cataract posting in Guindy br when doing 1 yr Uvea posting They start with ECCE and then do Blumenthal SICS.. Phaco also.. Sx training.. basics one-to-one training is very good.. SICS.. around 40 Phaco some 10 cases Case nos depends on your proficiency and personal progress.. Complicated cases are given to fellows but for SICS.. No vitrectomy exposure Medical Retina posting Opd exposure good Laser chances ok-ok.. usually given in last 2 months.. approx 100 lasers u can expect  Inj not much given, usually 10, max 15-20 For Ozurdex inj, AC tap, PST inj, you have to keep asking.. There is also ROP training.. we get exposure.. not much.. just opd.. No hands-on for ROP lasers or injections.. Other than that, you can be independent with retinal lasers and inj by the end.. Dutywise- Ward duty monthly twice.. Sunday duty monthly once Night duty monthly twice. Not hectic.. Work is 8-5.. differs on OT days.. You have monthly posting with diff consultant 2 OT days with consultant.. you observe the OT and do case entry work... lots of file entry work.. Good clinical exposure.. Personally feel this fellowship is suitable for candidates not interested in sx (since cataract numbers are so low). You have to know hindi.. I (reviewer) didn't know hindi so I had it tough.. but I picked up.. In SN, it's mostly hindi patients or bengali..

1 year duration  2-4 fellows/ session Selection- interview, no exam Fellow intake is usually in April, Oct Stipend 30k No admission fees, no bond You are promised 50 phacos over this 1 year but fellows on average get slightly more (80+ phacos). You start with SICS and then once competent, they start you on phacos. Phaco technique taught here is supracapsular method - where the cataract is popped out of the bag and emulsified in AC. You are started on phaco early on, fellow is usually give full cases to do, the training consultant takes over only where required. You get very less SICS numbers compared to phacos. You may get to do advanced cases (PXF, small pupil, hard cataracts) if you show proficiency. No training for iris claws. No topical phacos. You get hands-on for glued IOLs (some 3-4 cases) so you get to use the vitrector then and get a feel for ant vitrectomy. Also get hands-on for refractive procedures  Around 80-90 SMILE Pro (they do more of SMILEs at Agarwal's) 20-30 PRK Less of femto lasik (15-20) Work timings 8 - 5 pm Not hectic No lasers given, Yag caps are done by their PGs. PhacoRef fellows sit in Cornea OP but see mostly their Refrac cases, not cornea pts They also have camp pt duties (seeing pre-ops and post-ops) Camps- once every month/ every 2 months Night duties- once/ month Sunday duties- half day OP (8-1 pm), no compensatory off Evening duties- seeing OP from 5-8 pm  No peripheral postings but the hospital can post you on short notice to any of their other hospitals (even in other states) in the event of last min emergencies.  Academics- no formal classes, mostly self learning. They've started encouraging papers and publication work.

Selection- by interview Recently fellowship duration has been increased to total of 2 yrs 6 months posted in Gen Ophthal dept + 18 months in Cornea dept Fellow intake is random and happens frequently, sometimes every 3 months.. so as many as 5 fellows may exit in a month when their fellowship is over Stipend 40k in 1st yr, 50k in 2nd yr They start you on SICS from 3rd month of gen ophthal posting Phaco training is now included since it's been increased to 2 yrs but no fixed number is promised However fellows get phaco only after they have done at least 500-1000 SICS which can mean you get phacos only in last 3 months Every fellow has 1 cataract OT and 1 cornea OT per week- usually 1 SICS/phaco per cataract OT- number increases based on your skill and speed  Cornea OP - good range of exposure to all kinds of Cornea cases You get hands-on for all common corneal procedures, AMG, pterygiums, corneal tear repairs etc  Penetrating KPs- minimum of 15 cases, no fixed number is promised Good exposure to lamellar surgeries but hands-on not given.. one or two lucky fellows may get 1 DSEK in the very end and that too, mostly steps Refractive cases- there is good exposure and you are trained in workup and selection of patients  Hands-on for 1-2 PRKs may be given towards end of fellowship  Mostly LASIK & PRK done here, no SMILE Night duties once a month and Sunday duties once in 3-6 months, however your other Sundays may still be occupied with camp/ post-op duty Academics- classes+ Hectic dept

Selection- by interview Total of 2 yrs First six months posted in Gen Ophthal dept + 18 months in Glaucoma dept Fellow intake is random and happens frequently, they may take in fellows every alternate month as well depending on the no: of fellows abt to finish  Stipend 40k in 1st yr, 50k in 2nd yr They start you on SICS from 3rd month of Gen Ophthal posting Phaco training included.. given in last 5-6 months of fellowship, you get an average of 40 phacos   Good hands-on for trabs and SICS trabs, total no of trabs you get around 40 Glaucoma OP- good range of cases, every textbook case seen  You get liberal hands-on for glaucoma lasers   Exposure to AGV and MIGS is ++ But hands-on is limited- you may get 1 AGV and some 4-5 MIGS towards the latter end of fellowship  Night duties once a month, Sunday duties once in 3-6 months but Sundays may still be occupied with camps or post-op duties Academics- classes usually with DNB PGs Work timings 7.30 - 7.30 pm

Selection by interview, random intake on need basis Stipend 90k per month for 2 years Fellows per session- Depends but ranges from 1-3 , sometimes paid fellow also present (it's usually 6 Lakh for one year paid surgical VR without any stipend) Duration of fellowship- 2 years .. Initially only lasers and anti vegf then gradually give steps of surgery Any cataract/ phaco hands-on? Nil.. No ... Nada First you develop medical retina skills with diagnosis and investigations (OPD postings) and OT postings are also there where intravit inj. are given... Gradually retinal lasers given under supervision but later they give full fledged laser room to perform lasers in all patients. For surgery- they start with core vitrectomy- then nucleus drop cases of social/free segment- then steps of RD/ Macular hole surgeries. Almost nil ROP surgeries exposure though. Usually fellows exit the program with independent macular hole surgeries done. Clinical exposure- depends on the consultant where you are posted - some see 30 pts per day where you will get to know indepth about everything from patient- disease - prognosis and some consultants see 100 pts per day so you get exposure in a rush setting also where you just diagnose and there isn't much discussion about the disease or topic .. usually lots of cases and a good variety. It's non toxic and borderline hectic environment; slightly more than residency but not so hectic. You get free at 6-7 pm everyday except rarely when some surgeon is still operating in OT (usually consultants tell fellows if they wish can leave). All consultants train fellows- some give good hands on and some impart good clinical skills Lots of lasers and intravit injection hands-on... enough to get you very bored and very confident. No ROP hands on and very few cases of ROP screening- you get to examine a few cases in 2 years, that's it. Peripheral postings- in Kolkata and Berhampore centre are given... Night calls equally divided between DNB and all fellows so maybe 1-2 night per month which is non hectic.. some1-5 pts per night duty. Academics were lacking but now Retina dept conducts own dept classes without DNB where they have raised the quality of classes above DNB level. Daily work timings- 8.30am to 5.30pm but it extends to 6-6.30pm usually Bond of 3 years and they prefer local docs or docs who are willing to stay there.. No caution deposit... However bond is not rigidly enforced, if fellow is not willing they can intimate the management of the same and leave. There are rumours that there is no bond anymore, this needs to be clarified at the time of selection interview.

Duration 1.5 yrs 2 fellows taken per session but 2nd fellow joins 7-8 months after the 1st fellow. Stipend 50k Only fellows who know phaco are selected, at the minimum you should be able to put IOL in sulcus in case of a PCR. You get good hands-on in refrac procedures, allowed to do Lasik, SMILE etc independently within 3-4 months of joining. Corneal surgeries- much lesser hands-on compared to cataracts, you get 10-12 keratoplasties (KP) at most, mostly therapeutic KP (final numbers depend on fellow's surgical proficiency). You get to do 1 lamellar surgery at the very end of fellowship. Free hands-on for other corneal procedures like pterygiums, C3R. Fellows get trained by consultants in corneal procedures. But phaco cases are left entirely to the fellow's discretion to operate and handle complications on their own when in OT, other consultants will be busy doing their own cases. So if you know basic phaco, the program is good in helping you get better at it. Timings  If one fellow works 9-7.30 pm, then the other fellow works 10- 8 pm the same day and then both alternate timings next day. You share night calls and Sunday duties with PGs, but often times they are posted in periphery so fellows end up getting more call duties. Sunday duties 7 am- 7 am next day, 3 hour break, followed by joining back at duty from 10 am Sundays- OP till 3 pm (avg 50 pts) and then you attend calls.. can get busy at times

It's a pure cornea fellowship. No cataract surgeries given. Duration- 18 months Selection is only by interview Stipend is 25k 1-2 fellows taken per session when the previous ones are about to finish. This is a charitable hospital, there is no refractive setup so no refractive exposure. The cornea hands on is good, the numbers are not as much as other high volume centers but whatever case comes, they'll let you do.  They'll give DSAEK also once you're doing well with the PKs There are no camp duties. No night/ holiday duties. Academics- no formal classes but consultant is a good teacher, it's up to the fellow to read up. It's not at all toxic. Timings from 8 to 4 or sometimes 5 depending on the ward work.

1 year duration 1 fellow per session Stipend= 15,000 Selection- MCQ exam+ interview No phaco/ cataract hands-on  You get many penetrating keratoplasties, hands-on start after 1st month. Lamellar surgeries also given, around 10-15, depends on your tissue handling skills... if not good, you may not get any case at all. Refrac training also there- you start with PRK then Lasik.. they don't have femto so no SMILE or femtolasik OP- see wide variety of cases, work timings 9-6 pm. Fellow has to take enucleation calls. Sundays usually free except for post-op morning rounds.

[This is the only fellowship program in this hospital.] Duration= 18 months 1 fellow per session Selection by interview, intake based on when present fellow is finishing  Stipend 25k No phaco training  Starts with medical retina work- you do retinal lasers, B scans in first 3 months. From 4th month onwards, you start getting steps in retina cases. You are posted 2 monthly with each retina consultant, you tag with them whole day. Academics- some classes+ You get mostly steps in surgery during the fellowship and based on your skill level, you may get to do some independent cases towards the end. ROP exposure is ok, you get to do some ROP lasers but no intravitreal injections given. Work timings 9-7 pm, not hectic. No night calls or Sunday duties. But you will be posted for Sunday general ophthal camps.

I (reviewer) did short term refractive training in Lotus Eye Hospital, Coimbatore under Dr. Ananth. I am not one to explain a lot but the fellowship is excellent... was better than I expected... sir is genuinely a very nice and empathetic trainer. Selection is by interview, they have fixed intake of trainees per month. Charges were 50k for one month training. Since I stayed in hospital, accommodation charges were 5k. Training was in a very guided manner, I started doing cases after a basic foundation course. Lotus hospital has mostly premium patients... don't expect to operate on camp cases. Hectic period if you want to shadow the consultant... otherwise ok. I got PRK, PRK+, Lasik, SMILE, ICL  At least 2-3 cases per week, sometimes more. And refractive training x 1-2 months is more than enough. After 1 month, I was ready to extend the training but sir himself said it was more than enough for what I'd gotten to do. I saw every possible refractive patient.. from workup to surgery. I did PRK 15, Lasik 10+, SMILE 6, ICL 2 Side Note: I got to know of this refrac training through a whatsapp job agent's group. The middleman told me initially it costs 1.5 lakhs for the 1 month course. I didn't pay the middleman after I got him to connect me with the hospital and confirming my slot. He tried to intimidate me by saying I would 'lose my seat' for refractive training and they would give it to the next candidate who would pay them... but I took a flight to Coimbatore as soon as I could. On reaching hospital, turns out Lotus didn't involve any middleman. And the hospital took only the prescribed 50k from me for the refractive training. Since I stayed in the hospital, another 5k extra was also paid but that was it. Beware of agents who promise training slots for such short term programs... especially without the said hospital's notice.

2 yrs fellowship  Phaco training is included  Phaco hands-on is given based on how good you are in SICS- they start you on phaco in 1st yr itself. If you know phaco before joining fellowship, you will be allowed to operate freely, no restriction on cataract numbers. When glaucoma fellowship initially started here around 2020, phaco numbers were good- they are less now. Hosp does many MIGS and GATT- so exposure is good but hands-on is minimal. Trabs are not done commonly, so not much hands-on. Clinical exposure is good. Work not very hectic, not toxic, timings are reasonable.  Academics- no formal classes, mostly self learning.