Dr. Joseph Nathan, ForSight Robotics: Democratising Quality Surgical Eye Care Worldwide

Tell us about ForSight Robotics.

 

We founded ForSight Robotics with the mission of democratising quality surgical eye care worldwide. We are building the world’s first robotic surgery platform of its kind, the ORYOM™ Platform, to treat cataracts and other widespread eye diseases. To do this, we’ve assembled a world-class team of robotic surgery pioneers, globally-recognised eye surgeons, and some of the brightest minds in AI and robotics.

We have successfully completed 200+ cataract procedures on an animal eye model (performed by over 25 surgeons) and will begin clinical trials in the coming year. Our goal is to standardise top-tier sight-saving surgery, ensuring that the hundreds of millions worldwide who need surgical eye care have access to the gift of sight.

 

 

How did you come up with the idea for the company?

 

I’ve always been fascinated by the intricacies of multidisciplinary technologies and how they help patients by providing unparalleled medical care. Through my educational experience pursuing my BSc and MSc in engineering followed by an MD and three years of ophthalmic surgery residency, I saw the high level of precision and accuracy required of surgeons to ensure safe surgeries. I also witnessed the physical toll these technical surgeries take on surgeons, along with the repetitive nature of certain eye surgeries, specifically cataracts, which require the same movements due to similar patient anatomy and predictable procedure flow.

The learning curve ophthalmic surgeons face is steep, and the high skill level needed can take decades to master. I knew there was a better way to deliver more precise patient care, ensure better outcomes, and ease surgeon burnout – while making quality surgical eye care more accessible. Out of this, the idea for ForSight Robotics was born.

 

 

What most excites you about ForSight Robotics?

 

Our team is making significant technological strides with the potential to transform surgical care for patients worldwide. Today, 1.1B people have preventable vision impairment. Within this group, cataracts are the leading condition causing vision impairment or blindness in over 600M patients. At the same time, there are only 30M patients receiving cataract surgery annually. While other medical specialties have utilised robotics for over a decade, only recent technological advancements have made it possible to introduce robotics into ophthalmology (due to the extremely small and delicate operating field). Ophthalmic surgeons and patients alike are eager for the introduction of robotic surgery, and I am excited that ForSight is leading this transformation.

 

How has the company evolved over the last couple of years?

 

The robotics industry is at an inflection point – patients are seeking advanced technological care, and surgeons are looking for ways to integrate robotics across the healthcare continuum. With many ophthalmologists wanting to see the field “catch up” with the technological advances seen in other specialties, ForSight has been building on this growing momentum, with AI accelerating the advancement of our technology.

Over the past few years, we have focused on research and development to build the best surgical robotic platform possible. We recently added “the father of robotic surgery,” Dr. Fred Moll, to our Board of Directors, opened new offices, expanded our team, and achieved our ISO 13485:2016 certification.

 

What can we hope to see from ForSight Robotics in the future?

 

With the potential to expand access to the ORYOM™ Platform across clinics and hospital systems, ForSight Robotics will help reduce surgeons’ training time and shorten their learning curve, while improving global access to top-tier sight-saving surgeries. The ORYOM™ Platform is also designed to perform surgeries both on the front and back of the eye.

As such, while we are beginning with treating cataracts, the ORYOM™ Platform will allow for additional procedures including glaucoma and retinal procedures, furthering ForSight’s impact on addressing ophthalmic care holistically. The sky’s the limit for the potential of medical robotics, and our vision is to harness the power of robotics and AI to elevate surgical eye care and eliminate preventable blindness.