At the 2026 ASCRS meeting, Uday Devgan, MD, FACS, and Vance Thompson, MD, participated in a panel titled, "Robotic Surgery: How Soon and How Good Will It Be?" Here, they share with Ophthalmology Management their thoughts on the future of robotic technology in cataract care. The below transcript has been edited for clarity.

Uday Devgan, MD, FACS: All right, Vance, we just had a great session here at the ASCRS about robotic cataract surgery. I think this is going to be a complete game changer.

Vance Thompson, MD: Well, I agree, buddy. We both know that cataract surgery is something that we do a lot of, and we try to bring our “A game” every day, but what robotics is doing and will do in the future is super exciting.

Dr. Devgan: I think it's going to bring a higher level of precision, but also safety. I like to say it improves you so you'll become a better version of yourself, and it can make the rest of us as good surgically as the best of us.

Dr. Thompson: I agree. And I know some ophthalmologists are worried about what it'll do for the need of them, but as you could tell in our talks, they're really needed and this is something that is going to help make them better. And so I'm excited about that too.

Dr. Devgan: Right. If you look back, let's say keratorefractive surgery, we used to do radial keratotomy all by hand, and it was very surgeon dependent. And now we have an excimer laser, or femtosecond laser, and we can do it with an incredible level of precision. You never want to go back to radial keratotomy; [robotic surgery is] no different.

Dr. Thompson: Right. And it's been exciting to see the progress made. And these companies—we each work with companies that are working so hard in so many areas, not only hardware and software, but AI—but we still need the surgeon and their team.

Dr. Devgan: Absolutely. So, at Horizon Surgical—which is the company I’m working with, and that's my financial disclosure—when we did the first human trial in October of last year outside the United States, it was amazing, but it's a complete team effort. And I also learned doctors are smart, but boy, engineers are another planet of smart.

Dr. Thompson: Right, right. We need them. And, as we talked about in the session, there's this huge global need. I mean, what are we doing, 28 million, 30 million cataracts in this world when the need is so much higher? And so things like robotics will help our throughput and our efficiency. And whether it's the beginning of the day or the end of the day, we deliver a consistent procedure. The world needs it.

Dr. Devgan: Right. And the robot's going to bring an enhanced level of safety. I mean, my best reaction time as a good human is about 200 milliseconds. An F1 racecar driver is maybe 150 milliseconds. Well, the robot can be 5 milliseconds.

Dr. Thompson: A magnitude.

Dr. Devgan: The ability to help you is going to be so much more. We flew here to Washington, DC, on a plane. I'm glad I had a very smart and talented human pilot, but I'm also happy the pilot had the GPS and autopilot and the satellite systems and the computer. I want it all, and the human.

Dr. Thompson: After participating in the event, I kept thinking about the other areas of medicine where robotics has helped so much. And, frankly, I've always felt ophthalmology was a step ahead of a lot. And it surprises me that now, at this stage in our careers, this is happening. But no matter what, it's exciting. Other areas of medicine have taught us as well, but it's really awesome to see this in ophthalmology and to be a part of it.

Dr. Devgan: Absolutely. And I think it's going to keep evolving. If you look at our old phaco machines from 20, 30 years ago, now the machines we have today are incredible. Same with these robots. Every new generation of robot, which are now being made every few months, every year, is better than the previous, and it's going to be fantastic. I think people, fellow ophthalmologists, you're going to be very happy with this technology.

Dr. Thompson: Well, I have to tell you, it was an honor being part of the session with you.

Dr. Devgan: Oh, likewise, Vance. Always fun to work together. Anyway, for ophthalmologists in the audience, young or old, I promise the robot's going to be in your future; just hang in there. You will love this technology, I promise you.

Dr. Thompson: Thank you, Uday.