Young ophthalmologists from developing countries like Afghanistan who are interested in learning more, improving their practical skills, and broadening their perspectives on ophthalmology are invited to participate in this three-month fellowship program in one of the host organizations in Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa or America and return to their home countries with the knowledge and skills they have acquired.

Deadline:

• 31 March 2026
• 30 September 2026

Result notification: July/Jan

• Start Date:
  • October 1
  • April 1

Prize: $6000

Number of fellowships: 60-90, three months

The prize will cover:

• Living expenses
• Traveling cost

Fields of study:

• General Ophthalmology
• Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
• Uveitis
• Glaucoma
• Cornea & External Diseases
• (no Refractive Surgery)
• Medical Retina
• Vitreo-Retinal Surgery
• Oculoplastics
• Cataract Surgery
• Ocular Oncology
• Neuro-Ophthalmology
• Ocular Pathology
• Community Eye Health
• Trauma

Eligibilities:

• Applicants must complete the residency training before applying for the fellowship
• Must pass the ophthalmology exam successfully (Master of Surgery, Diploma of National Board, etc.), the certificate must be in English or French
• Applicant’s age must be under 40 years
• Applicants must return to their home country after completing the fellowship
• must meet the language requirements of the fellowship training center
• must pass one or more than one ICO exam, the result will be considered during the application evaluation
• applicants who are from countries with ophthalmologic societies will be preferred

Eligible countries: 

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Dem. Rep., Congo, Rep., Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Arab Rep., El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, The, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Islamic Rep., Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, Dem. People’s Rep., Kosovo, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mexico, Micronesia, Fed. Sts., Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Samoa, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, RB, Vietnam, West Bank and Gaza, Yemen, Rep., Zambia, Zimbabwe

note: those applicants who want to apply for the second time are not eligible.

Host countries:

1. Australia
2. Austria
3. Brazil
4. Canada
5. China
6. Denmark
7. Egypt
8. Finland
9. France
10. Germany
11. Greece
12. Hungary
13. India
14. Iran
15. Italy
16. Japan
17. Korea, Republic Of
18. Mexico
19. Nepal
20. Nigeria
21. Pakistan
22. Peru
23. Philippines
24. Russian Federation
25. Singapore
26. Spain
27. Switzerland
28. Taiwan, China
29. Thailand
30. Turkey
31. United Arab Emirates
32. United Kingdom
33. United States

Required documents:

• Passport scanned copy
• Recommendation letter from the current chair’s recommendation and residency (DOC file, 80 KB)
• Previous recommendation letter from your supervisor of Chair’s (DOC file, 80 KB)
• The acceptance letter must be completed by the host university.

Note: the uploaded files must be in (jpg, pdf, doc, docx, and png, the file’s size must not be more than 20MB,), do not attach your file in zip.

How to apply:

Fill the online Application form

If applicants have any questions, they can have a glance to Frequently Asked Questions for further information they can contact fellowship@icoph.org

Fellowship official link