First-in-human study of the safety and viability of intraocular robotic surgery

Abstract

Microsurgery of the retina would be dramatically improved by instruments that offer supra-human precision. Here, we report the results of a first-in-human study of remotely controlled robot-assisted retinal surgery performed through a telemanipulation device. Specifically, 12 patients that required dissection of the epiretinal or inner limiting membrane over the macula were randomly assigned to either undergo robot-assisted surgery or manual surgery, under general anaesthesia. We evaluated surgical success, the duration of surgery and the amount of retinal microtrauma as a proxy for safety. Surgical outcomes were equally successful in the robotic surgery and manual surgery groups. Difference..