The Role of Haptic Feedback in Robotic-Assisted Retinal Microsurgery Systems: A Systematic Review

Retinal microsurgery is one of the most technically difficult surgeries since it is performed at the threshold of human capability. If certain retinal conditions are left untreated, they can lead to severe damage, including irreversible blindness. Thus, techniques for reliable retinal microsurgery operations are critical. Recent research shows promise for improving surgical safety by implementing various types of sensory input and output. Sensory information is used to inform the surgeon about the environment inside the eye in real time. This review examines literature that discusses human factors and ergonomics (HFE) of sensory inputs and outputs of retinal microsurgery instrumentation with a focus on force and haptic feedback. Thirty-four studies were reviewed on the following topics: (1) variation between different input sensory devices and their performance, (2) variation between alternative output sensory devices and their performance, and (3) variation between alternative output sensory devices and their user satisfaction. This review finds that the implementation of HFE is important for the consideration of retinal microsurgery devices, but it is largely missing from current research. The addition of direct comparisons between devices, measures of user acceptance, usability evaluations, and greater realism in testing would help advance the use of haptic sensory feedback for retinal microsurgery instruments.