Using smartphone-delivered stereoscopic vision in microsurgery: a feasibility study

Many surgical specialties are increasingly looking towards robot-assisted surgeries to improve patient outcome. Surgeons conducting robot-assisted operations require real-time surgical view. Ophthalmic robots can lead to novel vitreoretinal treatments, such as cannulating retinal vessels or even gene delivery to targeted retinal cells. This study investigates the feasibility of smartphone-delivered stereoscopic vision for microsurgical use.

A stereo-camera, connected to a laptop, was used to capture the 3D view from a binocular surgical microscope. Wi-Fi connection was used to live-stream the laptop display onto the smartphone screen wirelessly. Finally, a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, which acts as a stereoscope, was used to house the smartphone. The headset wearer then fused these images to achieve stereoscopic perception.

Using smartphone-delivered 3D vision, the author performed a simulated cataract extraction operation successfully, despite a time lag of 0.354 s ± 0.038. To the author's knowledge, this is the first simulated ophthalmic operation performed via smartphone-delivered stereoscopic vision.

Microscopic output in 3D with minimal time lag can be readily achievable with smartphones and VR headsets. Uncoupling the surgeon from the operating microscope is required to achieve tele-presence, an essential step in tele-robotics. Where operating theatre space is a concern, head-mounted displays may be more convenient than 3D televisions. This 3D live-casting technique can be used in teaching and mentoring settings, where microsurgeries can be live-streamed stereoscopically onto smartphones via local Wi-Fi network. When connected to the internet, microsurgeries can be broadcasted live and viewers worldwide can see the surgeon's view wearing their VR headsets.