Dr. Xu graduated magma cum laude from Duke University. He completed medical school with distinction at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, where he did a research fellowship supported by Research to Prevent Blindness. He completed residency at the Stein Eye Institute, UCLA, where he won the Pepose-Saltzman Young Investigator Award and the Starr E. Schulman Fellowship Award. He pursued fellowship training at Wills Eye Hospital and then joined the faculty.

Dr. Xu has contributed numerous peer-reviewed papers, chapters, lectureships, and editorials. His works have been published in Ophthalmology, RETINA, and the Wills Eye Manual. He has been an investigator for more than 20 nationwide clinical trials. He also founded EyeGuru.com, an educational website for ophthalmology trainees.