Raising the next generation of retinal specialists

Not long ago, my oldest daughter and I were talking about her future. She's approaching college age, and the conversations we're having now are different from the ones I expected to have. She isn't asking me about what to do necessarily, but more about how to do it. Specifically, we find ourselves coming back to the concept of how to navigate a world that feels less predictable than the one I grew up in. And each time we come back to it, I'm not sure I have great answers. But sitting with that uncertainty has changed me as a parent. And quietly, it has changed me as a teacher.

I've spent over a decade training residents and fellows in vitreoretinal surgery. For most of that time, I operated from a familiar framework: master the techniques, learn the literature, follow the evidence. That model worked because the specialty was, in many ways, predictable. The best path forward was visible if you studied and worked hard enough. That's no longer quite true.

The physicians entering our specialty today will practice in a world that looks meaningfully different in 10 years. Consider what's already in motion: artificial intelligence (AI)–assisted diagnostics, gene therapies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors moving from trials to standard of care, shifting reimbursement landscapes, and tools we haven't yet named. All of it is arriving faster than any training curriculum anticipated. Technical excellence remains essential. But it is no longer enough on its own.

What I find myself teaching now is harder to quantify. How to hold uncertainty without becoming paralyzed by it. How to evaluate a new tool, including AI, without either reflexive skepticism or uncritical adoption. How to stay grounded in first principles when the protocols keep changing. These are the same conversations I'm having at home, just with different stakes.

I don't think our trainees need less rigor. I think they need a different kind of it: one built around flexibility, judgment, and the capacity to adapt when the ground shifts. That's what the moment requires. Somewhere between these 2 conversations, I hope I'm becoming a better teacher for it.

Veeral S. Sheth, MD, MBA, FASRS, FACS

University Retina; Chicago, IL

Veeral Sheth, MD, MBA, FASRS, FACS, is a Chicago native specializing in diseases of the retina and vitreous. He serves as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and is a partner at University Retina and Macula Associates, where he directs one of the nation’s busiest clinical trial programs.

Sheth completed his ophthalmology residency at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, where he served as chief resident, followed by a fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at the University of Chicago. He also earned an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

As director of clinical trials, Sheth has served as principal investigator on more than 100 clinical trials, advancing therapies for age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, and surgical pathology. His work has been instrumental in the development of new drugs, delivery systems, and gene therapies, helping shape the current and future landscapes of retinal care. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, presented extensively at international meetings, and continues to mentor the next generation of retinal specialists.

Sheth is an active member of several professional societies, including the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), The Retina Society, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and the European Society of Retina Specialists. In recognition of his contributions, he has received multiple honors, including the Senior Honor Award from the ASRS.