Chinese surgeons have performed the world’s first remote robotic subretinal injection, 4,200km away from the patient.

Researchers at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center at Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, operated the 5G robotic system, inserting a microneedle into the patient’s eye in Xinjiang and controlling the injection path, dosage and depth. The procedure was completed in under seven minutes, they said.

Led by Professors Lin Haotian, director of the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, and Yang Bo in Xinjiang, the teams jointly assessed the patient pre-operatively and mapped a micron-level surgical plan. “We will continue to explore the new ‘remote plus intelligent’ model and enable more grassroots patients to benefit from technological innovation in the following months,” said Prof Lin.

The robot, developed by Dr Lin’s team with Dr Huang Kai from Sun Yat-sen University’s School of Computer Science and Engineering and Guangzhou Oculotronics Medical Instrument Co, supports real-time 3D high-definition imaging. It builds on June 2023’s first remote micron-level eye surgery on rabbits using the same platform, which Dr Lin’s group published in Advanced Science.

Researchers said the ability to perform such procedures remotely highlights the potential for advanced retinal care to reach rural and underserved regions.