CRAFT Fellowship (Cataract, Cornea & Refractive Surgery) review @ Narayana Nethralaya, Bengaluru

Duration 2+ yrs (2 yrs is minimum but Rohit Shetty sir might ask fellows to do 3-4 months extra, finishing point is upto sir)

Fellow intake and number is random, they took fellows on monthly basis in 6 months in 2026 (needs to be confirmed with hospital if they are taking any more fellows for 2026)

Selection- Interview 

Stipend- 56k per month

You get liberal hands-on for cataracts and refractive cases in this fellowship.

Cornea cases are relatively lesser.

You are posted in 2 centres (random postings)- one for cataracts and Cornea and the other for refractives.

You start getting cataract cases in 1st month itself, they start with SICS 

If you're good in SICS, they shift you to phaco within 1.5 months

If you're not proficient, you'll spend more months in SICS and start phaco later

Phaco hands-on is good, you get to do all kinds of cataract.. OT is 3 times a week, they increase case numbers per OT as you get better.. you also get to do topical phacos by the end

Refractive cases hands-on also starts early.. they have daily OT so you start with lasik, PRK, trans-PRK etc and get lenticules, SMILE by the end.

Cornea posting is not as structured as Cataract posting.

Clinical exposure in Cornea is good though, you get to see all kinds of cases when posted.

Surgical steps begin late.. usually within 6 months or after.. cases are less (and fellows are more) and you get mostly TPKs.. optical keratoplasties are sometimes given but you get only steps like graft trephination or suturing in those, not the whole case.. the only independent keratoplasty cases you're given are TPKs.. 

You get to do a few DALK cases in the last 2-3 months.

Work punch in at 7.45 am, work goes till 6 pm

Can also go till 8 pm occasionally if you have research lab meetings.

You'll be part of all in-house research, collating and tabulating data and will also be expected to present/ speak in national and international conferences.

All conferences are usually self-sponsored except for the very few that the hospital agrees to sponsor.

Night duties 3-4/month, first on call.

Sundays OP duty/ camp workup duty twice a month.

Academics- no formal classes, mostly self learning.

By the end, you can do phacos and refractive cases independently.. Cornea exposure is relatively limited but you will be made familiar with how to do cases.