ForSight Robotics’ first-of-its-kind robotic cataract procedure was unveiled earlier this month at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ASCRS) annual meeting.
Let’s start with ForSight Robotics.
Launched in 2020, the Israel-based surgical robotics company was co-founded by Daniel Glozman, PhD (CEO); Joseph Nathan, MD, MSc (president and chief medical officer); and Moshe Shoham (chief scientific officer).
The company’s focus: developing ORYOM, its flagship technology and the world’s first robotic surgery platform for cataracts and widespread eye diseases.
Key to this technology: utilization of artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithms, advanced computer vision, and miniaturized mechanics, according to the company.
How did it develop this platform?
Through a series of funding rounds, which included raising an initial $10 million in mega-seed financing in 2021 and, in 2022, completing a $55 million Series A round.
Its investors include Provenio Capital, Precision Capital, Reiya Ventures, Adani Group, Eclipse Ventures, and Mithril Capital, to name a few.
Alrighty, now tell me about ORYOM.
The ORYOM (translating to “daylight” in Hebrew) Surgical Robotics Platform is the first hybrid intraocular robotic ophthalmic platform to provide such capabilities not possible with standard cataract surgery:
- High-volume procedures
- Increased levels of multitasking
- Advanced high-precision procedures
- Consistent and monotonous flow
The intent: to amplify surgeons’ skills and increase patient access to ophthalmic surgery.
And its features?
- Robotic hand
- Provides “unprecedented dexterity and maneuverability” and a miniature 14°-of-freedom microsurgical robot for carrying out delicate tasks
- Hybrid kinematic structure enables a reach to any location within the human eye
- Advanced visualization
- Stereoscopic imaging technologies for surgical planning, real-time image guidance, and visualization
- Advanced data analytics
- State-of-the-art computing methods via machine learning for continuous advancement of surgical techniques
Gotcha. So who presented the platform during ASCRS?
David F. Chang, MD, one of the world’s leading cataract surgeons and former ASCRS president (2012-2013), discussed his experience using the ORYOM platform during his Charles D. Kelman Innovator Lecture.
Note: Dr. Chang served as ASCRS president from 2012-2013, and is currently professor of ophthalmology at the University of California, San Francisco.
Also: he ranked #3 in Newsweek’s list of best U.S. ophthalmologists in 2022 and eye doctors in 2023.
And his affiliation with ForSight Robotics?
Dr. Chang chairs the ForSight Robotics Clinical Advisory Board, which includes:
- Vance Thompson, MD,
- Boris Malyugin, MD, PhD
- Elizabeth Yeu, MD
- Sam Garg, MD
- Modi Naftali, MD
And his presentation included …
His presentation detailed his performance of a complete, remote robotic cataract procedure using the ORYOM, which was shown via video.
Dr. Chang noted that this was the first video of him operating on an animal (porcine, i.e., pig) eye, and he was conducting the entire procedure with robotic arms while sitting at a workstation located 20 feet away from the eye.
“The robotic arms were precisely mirroring what my hands were doing,” he stated.
Can we see the video?
Here you go:
The ASCRS / American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators (ASOA) annual meeting was held April 5-8, 2024, in Boston, Massachusetts.