Robot eye surgery for patients

For the first time in the world, doctors have successfully performed surgery inside a patient's eye using a robot.

Robots are widely used in surgery today but have never been used inside the human eye - Photo: ABC NEWS

Bill Beaver, 70, from Oxford, England, who underwent the surgery, said he has now recovered his vision and said he was surprised by the "fairy tale" surgery.

Mr. Bill Beaver - the first person to have robot eye surgery - Photo: BBC

The operation was carried out by a team at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, led by surgeon Professor Robert MacLaren. They used a robot made by the Dutch company Preceyes.

Dr. MacLaren used a joystick and touchscreen to guide the robot to peel away a membrane just 1/100th of a millimeter thick on the retina.

"Surgery at the back of the eye requires a high level of precision, requiring a robotic system to do it through a small hole in the membrane of the eye without causing harm as it moves around," he told the BBC.

“Most robots in operating rooms are big robots, whereas the robots here are very small – everything has been miniaturized,” he added.

Preceyes' robot is attached to a small needle and inserted into the eye to perform surgery - Photo: BBC

According to plan, in the coming time, 12 more patients will have surgery with this robot.

Doctors say they hope the technique will pave the way for more complex eye surgeries that are currently impossible with human hands.

According to Tuoitre.vn