Patricia Buehler, MD, MPH, co-founder and CEO of Osheru, is not your typical medical device founder; she’s a surgeon who actually performs the medical procedure.
With 25+ years of experience in ophthalmology and a specialization in eyelid surgery, Dr. Buehler has performed thousands of procedures and trained surgeons across the United States and abroad.
Beyond her work at Osheru, Dr. Buehler serves as managing partner of InFocus Eyecare, a thriving specialty practice, and is a founding partner of the Bend Surgery Center.
That depth of clinical experience gave her something most medical device developers don’t have: a frontline view of exactly where the standard of care fell short.
In 2021, she and her husband, Dr. Knute Buehler, a practicing orthopedic surgeon, turned that conviction into action and developed Ziplyft. Ziplyft is a first-of-its-kind, sutureless, in-office eyelid lift designed to deliver the same beautiful outcomes with far less burden on patients and providers alike.
In this founder spotlight, Dr. Buehler shares her journey as a surgeon-turned-entrepreneur, the ancient inspiration behind Ziplyft, and her vision for the future of medical devices.
What sparked the idea for Ziplyft?
Believe it or not, the idea for Ziplyft started in a museum. I was visiting an exhibit on ancient Egyptian medicine and learned that Egyptian healers compressed eyelid skin between two twigs, and the skin, deprived of its blood supply, would fall off within days.
As a surgeon, I immediately thought, “Why are we still doing this the hard way?”
That moment sparked the idea that eventually became Ziplyft: combining an ancient concept with modern medical engineering to create a minimally invasive eyelid lift.
➔ Follow Dr. Buehler on LinkedIn
Can you share a story that shows Ziplyft’s impact?
One of my favorite moments was hearing a surgeon say after using Ziplyft for the first time, “Wait… we’re already done?” She had completed the procedure in 12 minutes when it usually took 40 minutes.
The patient’s response was even more remarkable. The patient (pictured below with his wife) was getting married in 10 days, and he had minimal bruising and downtime. He was back to normal honeymoon activities far faster than expected.
That’s when it became clear this wasn’t just a new device for surgeons; it was a better patient experience.
What has this journey revealed about you?
It taught me that surgery and entrepreneurship have a lot in common. Both require:
- Staying calm under pressure and solving problems creatively
- Caring about people and their experiences
I also realized I enjoy building, working with talented teams, and turning ideas into reality just as much as I enjoy operating.
Were there moments of doubt as an entrepreneur?
Of course. Every startup has moments where things don’t go according to plan: prototypes fail, funding gets difficult, timelines stretch.
What kept me going was remembering the patient-and-surgeon problem we were trying to solve. That mission made the setbacks feel temporary.
What’s been the most fulfilling part of Ziplyft’s evolution?
Watching other surgeons use it and get excited about the results. Of course, I love it when they use words like genius to describe the technology, or how come I didn’t think of that!
There’s something surreal about seeing an idea that once existed only in your head get modified and improved with input from others, and then start improving real patient experiences.
How has building Ziplyft changed you?
Building Ziplyft made me more comfortable with uncertainty and more open to collaboration. Now I notice so many things in my daily life, and I ask how they could be improved.
Medicine trains you to have answers. Entrepreneurship teaches you to keep moving even when you don’t have all of them yet.
What story do you hope Ziplyft tells five years from now?
Our story is that we helped redefine what patients expect from eyelid procedures:
- less downtime
- less invasiveness
- better overall experiences
More than anything, I hope Ziplyft represents innovation that genuinely improves the surgeon and the patient experience.
What advice would you give aspiring entrepreneurs?
Solve a real problem in an area you know well and collaborate with others. My husband and co-founder contributed greatly to developing features for the Ziplyft device, making it even better.
Don’t wait until you feel fully ready. You learn by building.
Most importantly, stay curious, because inspiration can come from the most unexpected places… even ancient Egypt.
➔ Learn more about Zipflyft by Osheru
Ziplyft by Osheru is a portfolio company funded through the Oregon SSBCI Venture Direct Program, which is managed by Elevate Capital. Patricia Buehler, MD, is pictured in the featured photo.
