Born and raised in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Dr. Aksal Vashi was an avid athlete from a young age, gravitating toward sports that kept him active year-round. A graduate of Georgia Tech, he transitioned from an engineering degree to pursue a medical degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
If there’s one thing to know about Dr. Vashi, it’s that he loves to stay active. In college, he discovered a passion for competitive dance, performing at events across the country in styles ranging from hip-hop and bhangra to contemporary.
Today, Dr. Vashi is in the thick of his residency at Emory, navigating the intense pace of becoming a physician while finding moments to stay active.
“Our anesthesia department recently made a soccer team,” he said. “We play in one of the city leagues; we get pretty beat up by these young kids, but it’s still great fun.”
He describes his life with a matter-of-fact humility: “I go to work. I try my best. I learn how to be a good doctor. I love my family — that’s the main reason I came to Emory after medical school.”
Finding a Career in Anesthesiology
Initially drawn to emergency medicine, Vashi loved the idea that “anything could walk in the door” and that the doctor becomes the first line of defense. But in practice, he found that the high-acuity environment he craved wasn’t always there.
Then came a pivotal moment: mentorship under Dr. Warren McCauley and Dr. C.T. Lee, both anesthesiologists at Carle Hospital in Urbana, Illinois.
“I was able to be in the OR with them, and I loved it,” he recalled. “You’re able to make immediate critical medical decisions for patients every single day.”
That urgency and immediacy — “someone is on the table, being operated on, and their blood pressure is tanking” — is what ultimately drew him to anesthesiology. Now, as he enters the next phase of his training at Grady Memorial Hospital, Dr. Vashi looks forward to deepening his skills in the operating room as part of the Emory team.
Seeking Clearer Vision
One struggle that followed Vashi throughout his life was vision.
“Waking up in the morning and you can’t see anything — that always frustrated me,” he said.
Like many students, he overused his contact lenses during his teenage years, juggling long days of school, practice and homework. Eventually, his corneas showed signs of wear, and his ophthalmologist advised reducing contact lens use.
“Wearing contacts became this thing I had to plan around for special events,” he explained. “Soccer became a problem, glasses would fall out of place. Even in the OR, my glasses would fog up with the mask. All these small things became a regular issue.”
LASIK became a possibility he began to consider — but not without anxiety. As someone in a high-stress profession, Dr. Vashi worried that a complication could interfere with his ability to practice medicine. He was hesitant until he met Dr. Sood.
“She took me through everything. Our first visit was her just explaining the risks and the outcomes. She had the procedure done herself, which made a difference. She told me there were no documented cases of vision worsening after LASIK. That changed everything.”
The Patient Experience
Despite being a resident anesthesiologist familiar with ophthalmic procedures, becoming a patient was a surreal experience. “I’ve seen what it looks like for a doctor to slice open and flip over a cornea,” he said. “Being the one on the table, I was terrified. But Dr. Sood really spoke to me on my level and held my hand through it.”
The procedure itself was painless, thanks to numbing drops, though the awareness of what was happening did bring on some anxiety. “There’s just a little pressure — but it’s being awake and seeing everything that can get to you. She calmed me down through the procedure.”
Post-surgery, there was some discomfort, managed partially with prescribed eye drops. “I’d encourage others to nap afterward — it gives your eyes a chance to adjust.”
That nap changed everything.
“When I woke up, I could see. My prescription before LASIK was +5 in both eyes. I had pretty bad eyes. Within a few days, I had clear vision for the first time I could remember.”
Post-Procedure
The impact on daily life has been profound.
“I feel so much more at ease. I don’t have to worry about my glasses falling off or planning to wear contacts during contact sports. I feel more confident in how I move through the world. I don’t even think about my vision anymore — and that’s a huge weight lifted.”
As an Emory employee, Dr. Vashi was able to access ophthalmologic services at a discount.
“I reached out to the folks in the Ophthalmology department and got a free consultation,” he said. “I was very lucky to be paired with Dr. Sood.”
The surgery took place in January 2025. Now, just months later, Vashi reflects on the experience as transformative.
“I’m totally normal and thriving. I’d do it over in a heartbeat!”