Robotic Retinal Surgery

Retinal surgery has long drawn the attention of engineers and clinicians who identified a clear use case for robotics and assistive technology. In retinal surgery, precision is paramount. Skilled practitioners operate on the boundaries of human capability, dealing with minuscule anatomic structures that are both fragile and hard to discern. Surgical operations on the retina, a hair-thick multilayered structure that is an integral part of the central nervous system responsible for vision, spurred the development of robotic systems that enhance perception, precision, and dexterity. This chapter provides an encompassing overview of the progress that has been made during the last two decades in terms of sensing, modeling, visualization, stabilization, and control. The chapter reports on recent breakthroughs with first-in-human experiences, as well as on new venues that hold the potential to expand retinal surgery to techniques that would be infeasible or challenging without robotics.