Micron-accurate robot completes world’s first cataract procedure | A UCLA-developed robotic system delivers the world’s first cataract surgery by robot, offering new precision in eye procedures.

>A surgical robotics system developed at UCLA has achieved a landmark moment in eye care by performing the world’s first robotic-assisted human cataract surgery.

>The milestone, completed by Horizon Surgical Systems, marks a breakthrough in precision ophthalmic procedures and could reshape one of the most commonly performed surgeries on the planet.

>Cataracts, which leads to clouding of the eye’s natural lens, affect nearly 94 million people worldwide and remain the leading cause of global blindness.

>While cataract surgery is routine, with more than 26 million procedures performed each year, it demands exceptional precision as surgeons navigate transparent tissues and anatomical structures measured in mere microns.

>Horizon’s first-in-human study involved 10 patients who successfully underwent robotic-assisted cataract surgery with no adverse events.

>The operations were performed by Dr. Uday Devgan and Dr. David Lozano Giral at UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute, marking a historic moment in ophthalmic surgical robotics.

>Each patient received a standard cataract procedure using the company’s Polaris platform.

>Surgeons operated from a cockpit in the operating room, using an input device that provided real-time augmentation, overlays, and tactile paddles while viewing a 3D monitor fed by multimodal imaging.