Robotics in eye surgery

Eye surgery is extremely delicate, and innovation is limited by human limits such as tremor and movement precision. Robotic systems can eliminate tremor and allow instrument manipulation with more control; and many have now been trialled with human patients.

We undertook a systematic review (published in TVST) to explore how robot-assisted surgery compares to conventional procedures. We found no difference in operation success rate or ocular homes; indicating that robotic systems can provide useful assistance safely. However, robot-assistance was associated with a longer procedural duration, likely due to a significant learning curve for surgeons that have trained to perform manual procedures. Successful proof-of-concept studies using robotic systems to complete extremely challenging procedures such as cannulation of (tiny!) retinal vessels indicate potential for surgical innovation.

As robotic systems begin to improve existing procedures and facilitate new operations that are currently unsafe or infeasible, they will proliferate in ophthalmology like is already ongoing in many other specialties. Training surgeons with robotic systems at an earlier stage may mitigate some practicality concerns. Robots may also allow surgeons to operate remotely and could even conduct tasks independently to improve procedural quality and safety.