The two-year Mayo Clinic Surgical Retinal Fellowship provides broad exposure to medical and surgical diseases of the retina. This fellowship has high surgical volume with procedural volumes above the 80th percentile nationwide, including training in: 

• Vitrectomy surgery
• Scleral buckling
• Pngiacaoleumatic retinopexy
• Secondary IOL procedures
• Laser photocoagulation
• Photodynamic therapy
• Cryotherapy

During the fellowship, you will diagnose and treat common, as well as rare, conditions encountered in a vitreoretinal practice. Your experiences will include providing care for patients with:

• Age-related macular degeneration
• Retinal vascular diseases
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Unveitis
• Intraocular tumors
• Inherited retina disease
• Pediatric retina

Furthermore, you will gain proficiency in the interpretation of fluorescein angiograms, ocular coherence tomography (OCT), ultrasonography, and retinal electrodiagnostic studies. You will have opportunities to work alongside and teach ophthalmology residents and medical students.

As part of the program, you will assist or participate in approximately half of the vitreoretinal surgical procedures performed at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Additionally, VR Magic's EYE SI vitreoretinal surgery simulator is incorporated into surgical instruction. The simulator allows you to develop surgical skills and experience in a non-operating room setting.

Program history

The Mayo Clinic Surgical Retina Fellowship began in 1977.  Beginning in 2027, the fellowship will expand to recruit an additional surgical retina fellow, alternating between one and two fellows every other year. 

The fellowship meets the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology - Fellowship Compliance Committee (AUPO FCC) compliance criteria.