When I first began performing cataract surgeries in Malawi, I was struck by the sheer scale of preventable blindness and the devastating shortage of trained ophthalmologists able to meet it. Cataracts are the most common surgical procedure worldwide, yet hundreds of millions of people still lack access.¹ In Africa, the ratio is staggering: only about 3 ophthalmologists serve every million people.²

Globally, demand for cataract surgery is expected to double by 2050,³ driven by longer life expectancies and aging populations. Although most often associated with age, cataracts do not spare the young, either: Population-based surveys indicate that Africa alone has more than 80,000 children living with cataracts, with nearly 20,000 new cases emerging each year.⁴ But instead of more doctors entering the field, the opposite is happening. For instance, in the US, there are 100 fewer ophthalmologists each year.⁵ By 2035, experts project a 12 percent decline in ophthalmic surgeons even as demand grows by nearly a quarter.⁵

The result is a widening gap between those who need surgery and those who can provide it. Behind the statistics are human realities: patients left untreated, children falling behind in school, adults unable to work, and families carrying the weight of care.

It is precisely here that innovation must step in. Robotics and artificial intelligence can help solve this crisis in 3 critical ways:

• Empowering more surgeons: Robotics can help all surgeons deliver exceptional results, enabling more practitioners to safely treat complex cases and bridging the gap between local capacity and global standards.

• Expanding access: Cataracts cause 51 percent of global blindness cases,⁷ yet a shortage of surgeons leaves millions untreated. In many low- and middle-income countries, patients often seek care only when complications arise. Robotic support helps close this gap by reducing procedure time, allowing more patients to be treated daily, and easing the surgeon's workload, thus enabling consistent peak performance.

• Standardizing outcomes: By learning from hundreds of thousands of surgeries, robotic systems can replicate best practices, ensuring patients receive consistent care regardless of geography.

In recent years, the ophthalmic field has reached a turning point. Multiple robotics-assisted platforms for eye surgery have entered development or early clinical use, reflecting a broader industry shift toward precision automation, data-driven guidance, and surgeon-centric design.

For example, some platforms use AI-based algorithms, advanced computer vision, and micromechanics to deliver unprecedented dexterity and maneuverability while providing surgeons with an improved ergonomic experience. By enhancing visualization and reducing procedural complexity, these robots allow surgeons to work more efficiently and confidently without compromising quality of care, increasing the number of patients that can be treated at a time when surgeon shortages continue to limit access.

 Additionally, AI-driven training simulators that utilize real surgical data can dramatically reduce the timeline for training surgeons. Surgical platforms will soon be able to provide real-time guidance and live insights during surgery, fundamentally changing how surgeons learn, adapt, and deliver care.

My volunteer missions with Eye from Zion, a humanitarian organization across Africa and Asia, clarified the stakes. Local doctors are resourceful and deeply committed, but too often they work with outdated tools in challenging conditions. Eye from Zion’s model is one of knowledge exchange, bringing techniques and training, not just equipment, so local surgeons can continue serving their communities long after a mission ends.

Those trips reaffirmed two truths. First, the joy of a patient regaining sight is universal and immediate. Whether it’s a child able to learn again or an elder rejoining village life, you don’t need a shared language to see gratitude in someone’s eyes. Second, the global shortage of ophthalmic care cannot be addressed by volunteer missions alone. We need scalable innovation.

That’s why my collaboration with ForSight Robotics is so meaningful. Having once trained ForSight’s cofounder, Dr. Joseph Nathan, as a resident, I now serve on the company’s clinical advisory board as he and the ForSight team develop robotic platforms designed to democratize access to cataract surgery. It has been gratifying to see surgical principles I taught in the operating room translated into code and hardware that can empower surgeons worldwide. 

The impact of cataract surgery goes far beyond sharper vision. Patients not only experience a 95 percent improvement in sight after surgery,⁷ but also see an 18 percent reduction in depression and anxiety, and a 28 percent drop in related mental health costs.⁸ For families across the world, restored sight means restored livelihoods, education, and independence.

Vision is one of humanity’s most vital senses, and one we too often take for granted. However, ensuring that vision is accessible should not depend on where someone lives or whether a top-tier surgeon is nearby.

Innovation is the only path forward. Robotics and AI will not replace doctors; they will extend their reach, reduce their burden, and amplify their impact. They represent the future of ophthalmic surgery, where preventable blindness becomes a story of the past. OM

Modi Naftali, MD is an attending ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Israel, where he specializes in cornea and cataract surgeries. He serves as a member of the clinical advisory board of ForSight Robotics. Reach him at m_naftali@rmc.gov.il.

 References

1. GBD 2019 Blindness and Vision Impairment Collaborators; Vision Loss Expert Group of the Global Burden of Disease Study. Causes of blindness and vision impairment in 2020 and trends over 30 years, and prevalence of avoidable blindness in relation to VISION 2020: the Right to Sight: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. Lancet Glob Health. 2021;9(2):e144-e160. doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30489-7.

2. Dahiru Umar M, et al. Addressing Africa's High Rate of Blindness: The Urgent Need for Ophthalmologists. J Health Rep Technol. 2024 July; 10(3): e144801.

3. Owen JP, et al. Refractive Outcomes After Immediate Sequential vs Delayed Sequential Bilateral Cataract Surgery. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2021;139(8):876–885. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2021.2032

4. Courtright P. Childhood cataract in sub-Saharan Africa. Saudi J Ophthalmol. 2012;26(1):3-6. doi:10.1016/j.sjopt.2011.10.006

5. Feng PW, Ahluwalia A, Feng H, Adelman RA. National Trends in the United States Eye Care Workforce from 1995 to 2017. Am J Ophthalmol. 2020;218:128-135. doi:10.1016/j.ajo.2020.05.018

6. Schechet SA, et al. Survey of musculoskeletal disorders among US ophthalmologists. Digit J Ophthalmol. 2020;26(4):36-45. Published 2020 Dec 31. doi:10.5693/djo.01.2020.02.001

7. Jiang X, et al.Global trends in cataract burden: a 30-year epidemiological analysis and prediction of 2050 from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 study. British Journal of Ophthalmol. 2026;110:139-147.

8. Meuleners LB, et al. The impact of first eye cataract surgery on mental health contacts for depression and/or anxiety: a population-based study using linked data. Acta Ophthalmol. 2013;91(6):e445-e449. doi:10.1111/aos.12124