ICO-WGA Three-Month Glaucoma Fellowship:
A three-month glaucoma fellowship abroad, run by the International Council of Ophthalmology with the World Glaucoma Association. Before anything else, read the region rule, because it decides whether the rest of this page applies to you.
The region rule, and the fellow who does not fit it
ICO’s own fellowship page sets the 30 September deadline for the ICO-WGA fellowship and limits it to glaucoma specialists permanently based in Sub-Saharan Africa or Southeast Asia.
WGA describes the same programme more broadly, as help for promising young ophthalmologists from developing countries, while stating a commitment to Sub-Saharan Africa.
Then WGA’s own 2024–2025 fellowship page profiles two fellows. One from Nigeria, which fits. And one from Türkiye, hosted at the Glaucoma Unit of the Swiss Visio Network at Montchoisi Clinic in Lausanne. WGA’s page does not explain how a Turkish ophthalmologist entered a programme it describes as committed to Africa.
Three readings are possible. The regions may be a priority rather than a hard bar. The Türkiye place may have come through a separate WGA route sharing the same page. Or the rule may have changed between cycles.
We cannot tell you which, because no page we read resolves it. What we can tell you is the only sensible response.
If you practice glaucoma in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or anywhere else outside the two named regions, write one email before you prepare anything. Ask ICO whether your country is eligible for the ICO-WGA fellowship this cycle, and ask WGA the same question. Two emails, ten minutes, and the answer decides a year of planning. The addresses sit at the end of this post.
How small this programme really is
WGA states that it has supported 29 fellows from 15 countries in Africa since 2017.
Work that out. Across roughly eight years, it comes to three or four fellows a year.
Compare that with the standard ICO Three-Month Fellowship, which runs across fourteen subspecialties with a 31 March deadline and no regional restriction beyond country eligibility. For most glaucoma specialists outside Africa, that route is both open and wider.
Nothing here says do not apply. It says apply with your eyes open, and keep a second application running.
Observership or surgical training
ICO describes the WGA track as three-month observerships.
That word matters more in glaucoma than in most subspecialties. A surgeon who expects to return home operating differently needs to know whether they will hold instruments or watch. Observerships still teach a great deal, particularly in clinical decision-making, imaging interpretation and post-operative management, and a good host will involve you far beyond watching. But confirm the arrangement with your host before you accept a start date, because three months is too short to discover the answer on arrival.
Eligibility criteria
ICO applies its general fellowship conditions, plus the regional rule for this award.
1. A glaucoma specialist, since this fellowship covers that subspecialty alone.
2. Permanently based in Sub-Saharan Africa or Southeast Asia, per ICO’s published rule. See the section above before you accept that as final.
3. Completed residency training, with the specialist ophthalmology exam passed.
4. Not applying for a fellowship in your own country.
5. Reasonable fluency in the language of the training center.
6. A written agreement to return home, resume your previous position and apply the training there.
7. No previous ICO Fellowship, and no combining this award with another fellowship.
8. ICO Examinations recommended, and counted in the assessment.
The documents
The eligibility stage asks for five uploads: your passport photo page, your ophthalmology specialization certificate, your ICO Examination certificates where you hold them, a recommendation from your Department of Ophthalmology Chair, and a reference letter from a current or former supervisor.
Files go up as JPG, PDF or PNG, under 20MB each, and not zipped, with a certified English translation beside any document in another language.
Two of those are signatures from other people, which makes them the slow part of a September deadline. Our guide on asking a professor or supervisor for a reference letter covers how to brief them properly.
Step-by-step application process
Step 1, now: send the two region emails. ICO at icofellowship@icoph.org and WGA at info@worldglaucoma.org. Ask plainly whether your country qualifies for the ICO-WGA fellowship in the coming cycle. Everything below depends on the answer.
Step 2, same week: log in to the ICO Fellowship portal and enter your home country. The portal lists the fellowships you qualify for, which is the fastest independent check you have.
Step 3, by June: ask your Chair and your supervisor for the two letters. A September deadline feels distant until July arrives.
Step 4, July: prepare and scan the certificates, with certified translations where needed, inside the 20MB limit.
Step 5, July: submit the eligibility documents. ICO confirms or rejects eligibility within ten days by email.
Step 6, August: study the Host Directory, and look specifically at glaucoma units. Pick for the unit and the supervisor, not the country’s reputation.
Step 7, August: approach one host, and only one. ICO states that contacting two or more hosts at the same time violates its policy and can lead to exclusion from the programme. Allow two weeks for a reply before following up.
Step 8, August: ask the host directly what the three months involve — clinics, theatre, imaging, and whether you hold instruments.
Step 9, September: complete the Fellowship Host Acceptance Form, get the host’s signature, upload it and send it to the ICO team.
Step 10: submit before 30 September. Notices follow in January, and the earliest start is 1 April.
Step 11, after an award: assemble the practical file — visa, health and liability insurance, housing confirmation and banking details.
What a real placement looked like
WGA’s 2024–2025 page gives one concrete example worth studying. A fellow spent his three months in the Glaucoma Unit of the Swiss Visio Network at Montchoisi Clinic in Lausanne, Switzerland, under a named supervisor.
Two things follow from that. The hosts are real glaucoma units with named specialists rather than general departments, so your application letter should name the work you want to learn. And Switzerland is among the most expensive countries in Europe, which brings up the money.
The money, and what nobody has published
ICO lists US$6,000 against its three-month fellowship, toward living expenses and return travel. No page we read states the ICO-WGA award separately, so treat that figure as the likely amount rather than a confirmed one, and ask when you send the region email.
If it is US$6,000, then three months in Lausanne or Zurich will cost more than the award covers, while three months in Nepal, India or much of Africa will not. Choose the host for the glaucoma unit, then budget for that city honestly before you accept the date.
FAQ
What is the ICO-WGA Three-Month Fellowship?
A three-month glaucoma placement abroad, run by the International Council of Ophthalmology with the World Glaucoma Association.
When is the deadline?
30 September. Notices go out in January, and the earliest start is 1 April of the same year.
Who can apply?
ICO’s page restricts it to glaucoma specialists permanently based in Sub-Saharan Africa or Southeast Asia. WGA describes it more broadly and has hosted a fellow from Türkiye, so confirm by email.
Can a Pakistani glaucoma specialist apply?
Pakistan sits outside both regions ICO names. Ask ICO and WGA directly before assuming either way, and apply to the standard ICO Three-Month Fellowship in parallel.
How much does it pay?
ICO lists US$6,000 for its three-month fellowship. No page states the WGA award separately, so confirm the figure.
How many fellows are chosen?
WGA says it has supported 29 fellows from 15 countries in Africa since 2017, which works out at roughly three or four a year.
Is it surgical training?
ICO describes the WGA track as observerships. Ask your host exactly what the three months involve.
Which documents do I need?
Passport photo page, specialization certificate, ICO Examination certificates, a Chair’s recommendation and a supervisor’s reference, each under 20MB in JPG, PDF or PNG.
Can I write to several hosts at once?
No. ICO calls that a policy violation that can lead to exclusion. One host, then a two-week wait.
Can I do it in my own country?
No.
What if I have already held an ICO fellowship?
You cannot apply again, and you cannot combine this award with another fellowship.
If this one is not for you
A glaucoma specialist outside the named regions still has routes. The ICO Three-Month Fellowship includes glaucoma among its fourteen subspecialties and closes 31 March. For research money rather than clinical training, the ICO-AbbVie Advanced Research Fellowship pays US$50,000 and accepts candidates from all countries. The rest sits on our medical and health sciences scholarships page.