A Compact Telemanipulated Retinal-Surgery System that Uses Commercially Available Instruments with a Quick-Change Adapter

Abstract

We present a telemanipulation system for retinal surgery that uses a full range of unmodified commercially available instruments. The system is compact and light enough that it could reasonably be made head-mounted to passively compensate for head movements. Two mechanisms are presented that enable the system to use commercial actuated instruments, and an instrument adapter enables quick-change of instruments during surgery. A custom stylus for a haptic interface enables intuitive and ergonomic telemanipulation of actuated instruments. Experimental results with a force-sensitive phantom eye show that telemanipulated surgery results in reduced forces on the retina compared to manual surgery, and training with the system results in improved performance.