Apple Vision Pro Assists in ‘milestone’ Eye Surgery

Eye care company SightMD put out a press release this week in which it announced New York ophthalmologist Dr. Eric Rosenberg has become the “first surgeon in the world” to successfully perform cataract surgery using Apple Vision Pro. The procedure used ScopeXR, a mixed reality platform touted as “a new way to visualize surgery.”

The initial procedure was performed last October, with SightMD saying in the press release “Dr. Rosenberg and his team have performed hundreds of additional cases using the platform, demonstrating both its scalability and real-world clinical impact.” ScopeXR is described as “a spatial computing software platform designed specifically for ophthalmic surgery,” with the company further noting the software platform “[streaming] real-time surgical imaging directly into the surgeon’s headset.”

“What we accomplished in that operating room is something that has never been done before anywhere in the world,” Dr. Eric Rosenberg said in a statement included with the announcement. “This isn’t just about a new device, it’s about reimagining what the operating room of the future looks like. We’ve created a platform that makes surgeons safer, smarter, and more connected.”

He added: “We are now able to bring the world’s best surgeon into any operating room, at any hour, from anywhere on the planet. From residents performing their first cases to surgeons facing unexpected complications, this technology democratizes access to expertise and that will save vision.”

This story caught my attention because I’ve lived with cataracts most of my life, having surgery for them when I was 17. From a technological perspective, it’s good to see Vision Pro increasingly see “mainstream” adoption, albeit it for esoteric, niche use cases. When you consider something truly life-changing like what Dr. Rosenberg and team have accomplished, it gives productivity on visionOS entirely new meaning—making features like Mac Virtual Display feel comparatively small. For all Apple’s bravado about spatial computing being the future of the industry—and they’re not wrong, per se—the Vision Pro hasn’t been the Trojan horse the company hoped it could be for the mass market. Nonetheless, no one can dispute the Vision Pro is a tour de force of engineering and absolutely is “pulled from the future into the present.” I like mine, the original M2 model, a lot—even if it is used only for watching Apple TV, etc.