ASCRS 2025: Parag Majmudar, MD, on bridging the gap between residency and real-world practice

Parag A. Majmudar, MD, shared some of the key takeaways for a skills transfer lab he led at the 2025 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting, April 25 to 28, in Los Angeles, California. Majmudar focused on bridging the gap between residency training and real-world refractive surgery practice. Reflecting on the evolution of the field, he noted, “Refractive surgery has grown so much over the last 30 years that I've been in practice, and it's always great to see young surgeons embrace some of these newer technologies.”

Majmudar emphasized that refractive surgery exposure remains limited during residency. “There's a disconnect between kind of what goes on in a real-world private practice environment versus what they learn in a residency program,” he said. Skills transfer labs like these give young surgeons a rare chance to gain hands-on experience directly from seasoned practitioners. “The most important thing is... not so much the nuts and bolts of how to do something, but also kind of what are the nuances they can kind of take away to make the whole process a little bit more efficient and overall more patient friendly.”

Acknowledging advancements in surgical education, he observed, “When I trained, we didn't have simulators... things have changed a lot.” However, Majmudar stressed that watching videos alone isn’t enough—surgeons must physically practice maneuvers to truly develop their skills.

Encouraging perseverance, he reminded participants, “Very few people are born natural surgeons. It's okay to feel doubtful, but the main thing is to never give up.” He also reassured trainees frustrated by artificial practice models: “In the real world, the real eye behaves a lot different... Find cases that are a little bit easier, kind of low hanging fruit... build your confidence that way.”