First eye surgeries with Apple goggles at the Policlinico in Catania

Last Updated: May 2, 2024

Al Policlinico di Catania i primi interventi agli occhi con un visore Apple

An oculoplastic surgery using the Apple Vision Pro commercial headset was performed at the Catania Polyclinic. The university hospital company highlighted that it was the first session in the world carried out using this advanced device not yet commercialized in Europe, which offers significant health and economic benefits.

Two experimental surgeries were performed by the Ophthalmology clinic team led by Teresio Avitabile, with positive outcomes. Ophthalmologists Andrea Russo and Matteo Orione performed a correction of entropion of the lower eyelid and a corrective blepharoplasty on two sixty-year-old patients in the operating room.

Normally, these types of surgeries are performed without any aids, but in this case, the Apple headset allowed for taking photos and videos in three dimensions, which were always visible on a virtual screen and manageable through a simple hand gesture. The surgeon was also able to compare the new photos with the three-dimensional pre-operative images.

The advantages of the new technique mentioned by the Catania Polyclinic include the ability to record the surgery, aid in distance learning and collaboration between surgeons, allow medical students to observe surgeries firsthand, enable real-time collaboration through video calls, and share the same visual field for consultation and guidance during more complex surgeries.