ForSight Robotics said it has completed what it described as the world’s first fully robot-assisted cataract surgery in a human patient, using its proprietary JASPER platform in a procedure the company says could mark a major step toward expanding access to eye surgery worldwide.
The Israel-based surgical robotics company said the operation was performed by Dr. Alexey Rapoport, with Dr. Robert Edward T. Ang of the Asian Eye Institute in Manila serving as principal investigator.
According to the company, the procedure was the first cataract surgery in a human patient to be completed from start to finish with robotic assistance and without the use of general anesthesia, which it said aligns with the standard practice for modern cataract procedures. The company said earlier ophthalmic robotic procedures had been limited to partial tasks during cataract surgery and had been performed under general anesthesia.
Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed surgical procedure in medicine. ForSight said the milestone could open a new phase in ophthalmic care by bringing greater robotic precision to the operation and helping address a global shortage of access to sight-restoring treatment.
“This is a defining moment for ophthalmic surgery and the future of global healthcare,” Dr. Joseph Nathan, ForSight Robotics’ co-founder, president and chief medical officer, said in a statement. He said the achievement could help expand access to cataract surgery for millions of patients worldwide.
The JASPER platform, previously known as the ORYOM platform, was designed to mirror the workflow and feel of conventional cataract surgery, the company said. It said the system assists surgeons at every stage of the procedure, using advanced imaging, precision controls and motion scaling aimed at reducing fatigue and variability between operations.
ForSight said the platform is meant to work in tandem with surgeons, improving dexterity and precision while potentially making procedures safer and more consistent. The company also said the system could help reduce the physical strain ophthalmic surgeons often face from performing large numbers of microsurgeries in awkward positions over many years.
“Performing the first-in-human cataract surgery with the JASPER Platform has been the highlight of my career,” Rapoport said in a statement. “Something we could only dream about a few years ago is now a reality.”
The company said more than 600 million people worldwide are estimated to need cataract surgery, while only about 30 million such procedures are performed each year. It said the gap is driven in part by a shortage of trained surgeons and the physical demands of the work, creating what it described as a growing public health challenge, especially in underserved regions.
ForSight said the JASPER platform is intended to help meet that need by broadening access to high-quality cataract surgery.
The company said that following a successful Series B funding round in 2025 and the first-in-human procedure, it plans to move toward further clinical validation and regulatory submissions.
Dr. Fred Moll, founder of Intuitive Surgical and Auris Health and an investor and board member at ForSight Robotics, said the development represented not only a technical milestone but also a step toward greater standardization, improved precision and wider access to vision-saving care.
ForSight Robotics said the JASPER platform is still under design and development and has not yet been approved for commercial use.