Robotic Eye Surgery: Past, Present, and Future

Abstract

Purpose: To review past attempts, current innovations, and future goals of robotic eye surgery. Methods:A Medline literature search using the words "robot" and "ophthalmology" was performed to identify all relevant literature. Pertinent articles were reviewed and content summarized based on context. Results:Purported potential benefits of robotic-assisted eye surgery include improved precision, reduced tremor, amplified scale of motion, and the potential of automation and telesurgical operation. Several investigators have created devices capable of performing individual intraocular tasks, and efforts are underway to develop platforms designed to allow completion of entire ophthalmic procedures. Conclusion:Although obstacles such as cost and availability exist, prior successes and future benefits of robotic eye surgery are promising reasons for the continuation of research efforts.

Haptics in Robot-Assisted Surgery: Challenges and Benefits

“…Examples include master-slave systems such as the Robot-Assisted MicroSurgery (RAMS) workstation [132], NeuRobot [133] and cooperative type robots like the steady-hand eye robot [134]. Among special microsurgical applications, ophthalmic microsurgery, such as vitreo-retinal surgery, are very demanding procedures due to extremely small cutting forces and minute workspace that require advanced surgical skills that are near, if not beyond, human capabilities [135]. A typical task is epiretinal membrane peeling, where an instruments with micro-forceps is inserted through a scleral trocar and the semitransparent membrane is peeled off the retina, to restore a patient's vision.…”

Performance of a 6-degree-of-freedom active microsurgical manipulator in handheld tasks

“…Robotic surgical systems have increasingly been a subject of research in microsurgery over the past two decades since they offer various advantages over conventional techniques [1, 2]. For example, such robotic platforms can reduce hand tremor and enable fine manipulation with high precision and dexterity.…”

Robotic Surgery in Cancer Care: Opportunities and Challenges

“…Long manipulators are used to perform operations under manual guidance. Some of the robots capabilities in general for surgeons are include : stability and greater accuracy, improve visualization, manage multiple simultaneous tasks, optimized for particular environment, improve surgeons skills by reducing both performance time and errors (Pitcher et al, 2012), enhance dexterity by tremor abolition, motion scaling and reduce ergonomic problems of surgeons in longer procedure with possible sitting down and use their hands and fingers through ergonomically designed controls (Lee et al, 2011), high quality 3D vision (Mandai, 2013), facilitate complex procedures, enhancement of dexterity to facilitate micro scale operations (Chandra et al, 2010), development of virtual simulator trainers to enhance the ability to learn new complex operations (Kesavadas et al, 2011).General advantages of robots for patient are include: significant reduction in narcotic use and earlier return to normal function, increase patient satisfaction, decrease blood loss, and reduce hospital stay, low overall complication (Mendivil et al, 2009;Kim et al, 2010;Lim et al, 2011), lesser comorbidities, and lower risk and volume tumors (Pruthi et al, 2010), speed recovery and return to normal activities (Ng et al, 2010). Robotic surgery in addition to these general benefits have especial advantages in different cancer.…”