FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery: Admissions, Medical Colleges, Fees, Eligibility criteria

FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery deals with surgeries to treat diseases of the retina, macula, and vitreous. The most common vitreoretinal surgery is Retinal detachment, Epiretinal membrane, Macular hole and complications of diabetic eye disease. The fellows are trained to acquire skills in vitreoretinal surgery to carry out recently approved procedures like implantation of retinal prostheses, sustained drug delivery devices, and gene therapy.

The course is a full-time course pursued at various accredited institutes/hospitals across the country, the top institutions include Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, National Institute of Ophthalmology, Pune, and more.

Candidates can get admission to 2 years FNB course after successfully qualifying for the FET (Fellowship Entrance Test) examination which NBEMS conducts. FET is conducted annually as per the prescribed schedule. The merit-based counseling for admissions to the FNB Programme after the conduct of FET is administered by NBEMS.

The fee for pursuing FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery varies from accredited institute/hospital to hospital and is Rs.1,25,000 per year.

After completion of their respective course, doctors can either join the job market. Candidates can take decent jobs as research fellows, Senior residents, Consultants, etc. with an approximate average salary range of Rs. 18 lakhs to Rs. 50 lakhs per year.

The Nomenclature of the FNB qualification awarded by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences is “Fellow of National Board”. The FNB qualifications are recognized qualifications in terms of the Gazette notification dated 10th August 2016.

What is FNB in Vitreo Retinal Surgery?

FNB in Vitreo Retinal Surgery is a two-year doctoral fellowship program that candidates can pursue after completing a postgraduate degree.

FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery deals with operations to treat diseases of the retina, macula, and vitreous. The most common vitreoretinal surgery is Retinal detachment, Epiretinal membrane, Macular hole and complications of diabetic eye disease. The fellows are trained to acquire skills in vitreoretinal surgery to carry out recently approved procedures like implantation of retinal prosthesis, sustained drug delivery devices, and gene therapy. 

FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery aims to train competent vitreoretinal surgeons who would be able to independently manage common retinal disorders needing surgical intervention.

The National Board of Examinations (NBE) has released a curriculum for FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery.

The curriculum governs the education and training of FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery.

Course Highlights

Here are some of the course highlights of FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery

Name of Course	FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery
Level	Fellowship
Duration of Course	Two years
Course Mode	Full Time
Minimum Academic Requirement	Candidates must have a postgraduate medical Degree DNB/MS (Ophthalmology) obtained from any college/university recognized by the Medical Council of India (Now NMC)/NBE., this feeder qualification mentioned here is as of 2022. For any further changes to the prerequisite requirement please refer to the NBE website
Admission Process / Entrance Process / Entrance Modalities	Entrance Exam (FET) Merit-based counseling administered by NBEMS
Course Fees	Rs.1,25,000 per year
Average Salary	Rs. 12 lakhs to Rs.22 lakhs per year

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for FNB in Vitreo Retinal Surgery are defined as the set of rules or minimum prerequisites that aspirants must meet in order to be eligible for admission, which include:

Name of Fellowship course	Course Type	Prior Eligibility Requirement
Vitreo Retinal Surgery	FNB	DNB/MS (Ophthalmology)

Note:

· The feeder qualification for FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery is defined by the NBE and is subject to changes by the NBE.

· The feeder qualification mentioned here is as of 2022.

· For any changes, please refer to the NBE website.

•There is no upper age limit for training in NBE Fellowship courses

Admission Process

The admission process contains a few steps for the candidates for admission to FNB. Candidates can view the complete admission process for FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery mentioned below:

Fees Structure

The fee structure for FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery varies from accredited institute/hospital to hospital. The fee is generally less for Government Institutes and more for private institutes. The average fee structure for FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery is Rs.1,25,000 per year.

Colleges offering FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery

Various accredited institutes/hospitals across India offer courses for pursuing FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery.

As per the National Board of Examinations website, the following accredited institutes/hospitals are offering (FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery) courses for the academic year 2022-23.

Syllabus

FNB in Vitreo Retinal Surgery is a two years specialization course that provides training in the stream of Vitreo Retinal Surgery.

The course content for FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery is given in the NBE Curriculum released by the National Board of Examinations, which can be assessed through the link mentioned below:

1. Basic Sciences:

i) History and evolution of vitreoretinal surgery

ii) Surgical and applied anatomy (about vitreoretinal surgery, including extraocular muscles and vasculature)

iii) Physical principles of vitreoretinal equipment

iv) Optics of operating microscope and visualization systems

v) Properties and dynamics of intraocular gases and vitreous substitutes

vi) Basics of laser-tissue interaction about vitreoretinal procedures

vii) Basics of tissue handling [including suture material, knot tying, types of needle, and forceps].

viii) Landmark vitreoretinal surgery studies

2. Diagnostic Procedures:

i) Principles, applications, and interpretation of Ultrasonography (USG)

ii) Principles, applications, and interpretation of Optical coherence tomography (OCT)

iii) Principles and applications of Indirect ophthalmoscopy/ Fundus biomicroscopy [and drawing retina charts]

iv) Principles, applications, and interpretation of Fluorescein angiography and Fundus autofluorescence

3. Specific Vitreoretinal Disorders:

i) Diabetic retinopathy and its complications

a. Non-resolving vitreous hemorrhage

b. Tractional retinal detachment

c. Combined retinal detachment

d. Progressive/ resistant neovascularization

ii) Peripheral retinal degenerations and their management

iii) Acute posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) and its complications

a. Retinal tear

b. Retinal detachment

c. Proliferative vitreoretinopathy

iv) Anomalous PVD and its complications

a. Epimacular membrane

b. Vitreomacular traction syndrome

c. Macular hole

v) Myopia and its complications

a. Myopic tractional maculopathy

b. Foveoschisis

c. Macular hole

d. Macular hole with retinal detachment

e. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (simple and complex)

f. Giant retinal tear [GRT]

vi) Posterior segment complications of ocular trauma

a. Retinal dialysis/ tear

b. Retinal detachment (including GRT)

c. Retained intraocular foreign body

d. Endophthalmitis

e. Globe rupture

f. Macular hole

vii) Posterior segment complications of cataract surgery

a. Endophthalmitis

b. Dropped nucleus/ crystalline lens

c. Dropped/ dislocated IOL

d. Posterior capsular rupture

e. Retinal detachment

viii) Endophthalmitis [metastatic/ rare forms]

ix) Complications of Intraocular inflammation (Vasculitis and Uveitis)

a. Non-resolving vitreous hemorrhage

b. Retinal detachment [tractional/ rhegmatogenous/ combined]

c. Resistant intraocular/ vitreal inflammation

d. Masquerade inflammation (intraocular lymphoma)

4. Surgical Techniques :

i) Cryotherapy for peripheral degenerations/ dialysis/ tears

ii) Laser therapy for peripheral degenerations/ dialysis/ tears a. Conventional

b. Laser indirect ophthalmoscope (LIO)

iii) Scleral buckling surgery

iv) Pneumatic retinopexy

v) Intravitreal injections [including drug implants]

vi) Vitreous biopsy

vii) Pars plana vitrectomy for

a. Vitreous hemorrhage

b. Macular hole

c. Epimacular membrane

d. Vitreomacular traction

e. Dropped IOL

f. Dropped nucleus

viii) Vitreoretinal surgery for

a. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment

 without proliferative vitreoretinopathy

 with proliferative vitreoretinopathy

b. GRT-associated retinal detachment

c. Tractional retinal detachment

d. Combined tractional-rhegmatogenous

Career Options

After completing FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery, candidates will get employment opportunities in Government and the Private sector.

In the Government sector, candidates have various options to choose from, including Junior research fellow, Teaching at academic medical centers, and Consultants.

While in the Private sector, the options are Fellow (Vitreo Retinal Surgery), Junior research fellow, Senior Research fellow (Vitreo Retinal Surgery), and Consultants.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) –FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery Course /FNB in Vitreo Retinal Surgery Course

Answer: The full form of FNB is a Fellow of National board.

Answer: FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery or Fellow of National Board in Vitreo Retinal Surgery is a post-doctoral fellowship program for doctors in India that they do after completion of their postgraduate medical degree course.

Answer: FNB in Vitreo Retinal Surgery is a doctoral fellowship program of two years.

Answer: The candidate should have DNB/MS (Ophthalmology) degree from any college/university recognized by the Medical Council of India (Now NMC)/NBE. The prerequisite requirements mentioned here are as of 2022. For any further changes, please refer to the NBE website.

Answer: FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery offers candidates various employment opportunities and career prospects.

Answer: The FNB Vitreo Retinal Surgery candidate’s average salary is between Rs.12 lakhs to Rs. 22 lakhs per annum depending on the experience.

Answer: Yes, the candidate can teach in a medical college/hospital after completing the fellowship.