Cornea fellowships have changed significantly over the past decades. What once were days full of learning full thickness transplants and radial keratotomy has now become DSEK and LASIK. Today’s graduating residents desiring further training in these areas have difficulty in deciding where to apply as there are no good resources or explanations of the different fellowship opportunities available. For some residents, geographic requirements limit which programs they can apply to. If that is the case for you, make sure to confirm that the program does not have a restrictive covenant. If geography is not a limiting variable, what should you look for?
To start, a list of the majority of the cornea fellowships can be observed at the San Francisco match website www.sfmatch.org. These can be broken down (via conversations with program directors/previous fellows) into programs that are cornea focused, refractive focused, or a mix of both. You should not feel compelled to receive traditional well rounded training if you have no intention of performing LASIK or transplant surgery after fellowship.
Academic or private? It is a common misconception that private practice fellowships offer less rare pathology or surgical experience than academic settings. This is very site specific, and you should inquire each program specifically. If your intention is to enter an academic setting after fellowship, it is often easier to do so from an academic program.
Regarding surgical experience, you should speak to graduated fellows to appreciate the number of primary surgeon cases they participated in. It is important to speak to fellows that have already graduated; traditionally fellowship interviews are held in the fall before the fellows have been turned over many cases.
Overall the cornea fellowship search can be an exciting experience. Try to envision the type of practice you want to enter upon graduation and make your program selections from there. Remember along the way that the field of cornea is small and the people (both fellows and attendings) that you meet along the way you will likely run into again. These will not only be colleagues, but good friends as the years continue.
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