Young Physicians Drive Surgical Innovation Interest | ASRS 2025

A growing interest in surgical innovations is the result of previous medical advancements, according to Gaurav K. Shah, M.D., program chair of ASRS 2025.

Shah cited Avastin, a landmark drug for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that was introduced at the American Society of Retina Specialists meeting in 1995.

“I think there was this pent-up demand for drugs and agents, which have been incredibly useful for our patients, and the pendulum swung in the medical way because we didn't really have anything then,” Shah said in a recent video interview with Managed Healthcare Executive.

Gaurav K. Shah, M.D.

Shah also said that the growing interest in surgical therapies is driven partly by younger physicians’ curiosity. He said that the industry must remain attractive to them due to the increasing rates of nearsightedness worldwide, which will eventually require even more surgical approaches.

“Injections, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs and all these therapies are a big part of our lives, but I just want to emphasize, they're not the only part of our lives.”

The 43^rd annual ASRS takes place from July 30 to August 2, 2025, at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California.