It may be bold for a group of eye doctors to promote their work with the signage “See the Best.” But for ophthalmologist Samir A. Shah and his team at Beach Eye Medical Group in Huntington Beach, that maxim carries an important double meaning.
Shah and his team have the highest credentials in eye care and critical surgery. But just as important, he knows that people want to have their best eyesight for the special moments in their lives.
“It might be your daughter’s wedding, or a grandson’s first Little League game, or an important family reunion,” says Shah, who has performed more than 10,000 surgeries. “All of those things come alive if we can give you the best eyesight possible.”
Shah is a published author in high demand for his advanced cataract surgery skills and laser expertise. He’s the doctor other physicians turn to when they know their patients need more extensive care. They, too, want to give their patients the best.
The “best” was a central edict for Shah growing up in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., where his father Ashok Shah was an engineer in the auto industry and a role model for his son. His mother Parul, however, was the driving force behind Shah’s motivation to excel: “She instilled in us, if something is worth doing, it should be done with uncompromising excellence.”
So he let his talents shine at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, where earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s in finance in just two and a half years. He also was named valedictorian of his class. During a stint abroad at the University of Oxford in England, he studied Shakespeare and was on the rowing team. At the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, he was elected student body president. He then completed his residency at the prestigious Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA.
But Shah wasn’t satisfied. His parents’ mantra was drilled into him. “If I wanted to acquire the best skills, John Hopkins was the place to pursue it.” So he went on to shine at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., home to America’s first research hospital, which consistently ranks among the best in the world. There, he completed a highly competitive fellowship specializing in cataract, cornea, and refractive surgery at its acclaimed Wilmer Eye Institute.
He found the opportunity to work with esteemed eye doctors early in his education to be life-changing. “They seemed so happy in their work,” he says. “And what they accomplished for their patients was phenomenal.”
The end result of all that education and experience: Shah now specializes in the most complicated eye surgeries—advanced laser cataract surgery that can provide glasses independence, and corneal transplantation, a procedure only a select few doctors are qualified to perform.
He knew he wanted to create an exemplary practice when he settled in Orange County. In 2010, he took over Beach Eye Medical Group in Huntington Beach. It had a strong reputation with almost five decades of service. But its staff was small. So Shah tripled the number of doctors—now there are almost a dozen—and moved into larger headquarters on the city’s Main Street, near Ellis Avenue. And the group has expanded to include offices in Irvine, Newport Beach, and Long Beach. “We wanted people to have access to the high-quality care we provide at a location convenient for them,” he says.
Success in his field isn’t enough for Shah, however. He’s extremely dedicated to charity work.
His parents, immigrants from India, instilled in him a strong sense of family history. He also believes in going where the need is, and that means sharing his skills with the world. He has worked in India at Aravind Eye Hospital, serving some of the most impoverished neighborhoods, where the need for eye care is overwhelming—and appreciated.
“People will travel two hours, each way, just for a chance to see an eye doctor,” he says. “And they are always so grateful for the help they receive.”
Eye care is critical, and not just for the patient, he explains: “If a farmer’s eyesight fails, the whole family is affected. It could even mean losing their homes.” Which is why Shah volunteers, both as a surgeon and a teacher for other doctors.
He says he owes much in his career to his wife, Dr. Purvee Shah—a highly successful allergist/immunologist—for her endless support. Shah says she organizes everything and joined him on his last trip to India in December of 2024. Their three children came along too.
But Shah’s generosity of time and skill doesn’t end with trips to his parents’ homeland. He has also worked locally with Serve the People and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Foundation’s Operation Sight program.
A visit to Beach Eye Medical Group’s Facebook page gives insight into Shah’s mission. He wants “to provide patients with the highest quality of care that they can find anywhere in the world, with cutting-edge technology, with the best instruments, with the best doctors.”
There’s a second important mission: “We want to make you feel like you are part of the family, to try to get to know you as a person—what your needs are, and how we can best serve you.”
And he finds it all so gratifying.
“Helping patients both here and in India has taught me what true purpose and fulfillment mean. Restoring someone’s sight is more than just surgery. It helps them regain their independence, their livelihood, and their dignity. I feel truly grateful for the chance to help people see the world clearly again.”
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