Carl Awh, MD

Carl Awh, MD (pronounced "Oh") is the President of the Foundation of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) and Immediate Past President of ASRS. Dr. Awh is an internationally recognized clinician, surgeon and educator. 

He completed a fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery and Research at the Duke University Eye Center with Dr. Robert Machemer, the "father of modern vitreous surgery." Dr. Awh began his career as an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins University, where he was Director of the Retina Service at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and the founding co-director of the Johns Hopkins Microsurgery Advanced Design Laboratory. In 1994 he moved to Nashville to join Tennessee Retina (then Retina Vitreous Associates).

Dr. Awh’s special interests include macular surgery, macular degeneration, and the development of surgical devices and techniques. He is an active investigator in industry-sponsored and National Eye Institute-sponsored clinical trials, holds twelve U.S. patents for retinal surgical devices and treatments, and has designed dozens of instruments in widespread use by vitreoretinal surgeons. 

Dr. Awh has been named one of the Best Doctors in America every year since 2007 and is the recipient of Honor Awards from both the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Retina Specialists. In 2004, he received the Senior Honor Award of the American Society of Retina Specialists. In 2015, he received the Senior Achievement Award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He is an Associate Examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology and is the founding Director of the Retina Fellows' Forum, an annual national educational meeting for vitreoretinal specialists-in-training. Dr. Awh was inducted as an inaugural member of the Retina Hall of Fame in 2017.