Malibu-based robotics company Horizon Surgical Systems Inc. unveiled last week what it touts to be the world’s first cataract surgery performed using its robotic surgical platform.
The announcement said the milestone procedure was recently completed by Sawtelle-based ophthalmologist and cataract surgeon Uday Devgan.
According to data the announcement cited from the National Library of Medicine, cataract surgery is the most frequently performed operation worldwide, with more than 5 million procedures annually in the United States alone.
Horizon Surgical’s platform, called Polaris, fuses artificial intelligence algorithms for visualization with micro-robotic control. The company chose an initial focus on eye surgeries and related procedures, with the aims of reducing variability and increasing surgical precision.
One step at a time
While a milestone, the robotic-assisted cataract surgery procedure remains experimental, as Horizon Surgical has yet to file for approval with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“This first-in-human procedure represents the culmination of more than a decade of innovation and the start of Polaris’ clinical journey,” said Jean Pierre Hubschman, co-founder and chief executive of Horizon.
Horizon Surgical was launched in 2021 by Hubschman and surgical robotics pioneer Jacob Rosen as a spinout from UCLA research programs. Last October, the company received $30 million in series A financing led by New York-based ExSight Ventures and an unnamed major corporate investor, with participation from Santa Monica-based Main Street Advisors and the University of California Investments office in Oakland, amongst others.
