Surgical eye robot used to treat retinal vein occlusion

A surgical robot has been used to operate on the eye of a patient with retinal vein occlusion for the first time.

Developed by the University of Leuven, the robot utilises a needle of barely 0.03 millimetres – three times thinner than a human hair – in width to inject a thrombolytic drug into the retinal vein of the patient, making it possible to safely dissolve a blood clot.

The device allows the needle to be inserted into the veins in a precise and stable way, with no joystick to operate the device. The eye surgeon and the robot co-manipulate the instrument, with the human user guiding the needle and the robot eliminating any vibration.

After this, the robot can hold the needle perfectly immobile, allowing the drug to be injected in a controlled manner.

This initial trial demonstrated that it is technically feasible to use a robotic device for this purpose. A subsequent phase II study will soon be launched to assess the clinical effects of the procedure.

Professor Dominiek Reynaerts of the university's department of mechanical engineering said: "We are hugely proud that our robot enables us to perform eye surgery that was previously impossible to perform safely. This brings us one step closer to commercialising this groundbreaking technology."

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