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NAME OF THE INSTITUTE
Little Flower Hospital & Research Centre, Angamaly, Kerala
(A premier tertiary eye care center in South India with a strong legacy in community ophthalmology.)
STIPEND
- Monthly Remuneration: ₹57,000
- Financial Policy: Competitive stipend for the Kerala region; reflects the fellow’s role in managing the specialized Ulcer Ward and Eye Bank.
DURATION
24 Months (2 Years)
HONEST REVIEW
- Mentorship: Training is headed by Dr. Anita Raghavan (Unit Chief), known for her expertise in complex ocular surface reconstruction and lamellar surgeries.
- The “Ulcer Ward” Responsibility: A hallmark of this fellowship. The Cornea fellow is the primary lead for the dedicated corneal ulcer ward. You are responsible for all scraping, culturing, and daily management of infected keratitis cases, providing unparalleled clinical experience in medical cornea.
- Surgical Progression (Cornea):
- Keratoplasty: Hands-on begins after 3–4 months. Training is modular (Graft trephination → 4 cardinal sutures → 8 sutures). Full independent cases are skill-dependent.
- Lamellar & Ocular Surface: High exposure to DSEK, SLET, MMG, and AMG. Fellows participate in steps like air bubble insertion and graft tucking under direct supervision.
- Eye Bank: Comprehensive training in tissue evaluation and slit-lamp grading. While technicians handle most enucleation calls, fellows can accompany them for hands-on retrieval experience.
- Cataract Training:
- SICS: Excellent opportunity to perfect Manual SICS. The volume is sufficient to ensure surgical fluency.
- Phacoemulsification: Not guaranteed. If provided, it occurs in the final 6 months with a low volume (approx. 20–25 cases), as cases are shared with post-graduate (DNB/MS) students.
- Refractive Surgery: Observational only. The department performs various refractive procedures, but no hands-on is provided to the cornea fellow.
- Work Culture:
- Intake: Typically one fellow per session.
- Clinical Load: High OPD volume with a wide variety of “textbook” corneal pathologies.
- Environment: Academically oriented and professionally structured.
PERSONAL OPINION
Little Flower Angamaly is a “Clinical Cornea Goldmine.” It is arguably the best place in Kerala to master the medical management of corneal ulcers and the technicalities of an Eye Bank. While it is not the ideal choice for someone seeking high-volume Phaco or Refractive hands-on, the depth of training in ocular surface and keratoplasty—combined with the high-stakes responsibility of the ulcer ward—makes for a very competent cornea specialist.
