EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.
Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/1545140
28 | EYEWORLD | SUMMER 2026 ATARACT C DIGITAL MOMENTUM by Liz Hillman Editorial Co-Director About the physicians Rosa Braga-Mele, MD, MEd, FRCSC Professor of Ophthalmology University of Toronto Toronto, Canada Uday Devgan, MD, FACS Devgan Eye Surgery Los Angeles, California Robert Weinstock, MD The Eye Institute of West Florida Largo, Florida Surgical visualization revolution Dr. Devgan, Rosa Braga-Mele, MD, MEd, FRCSC, and Robert Weinstock, MD, shared their thoughts on and experience with digital operat- ing technologies that have hit the market in the last decade—both wearable headset and heads- up display systems. "The ergonomic benefits are notable—re- duced neck and back strain, improved posture, and decreased physical fatigue. In addition, enhanced depth of field, digital contrast adjust- ments, and real-time filters improve the visual- ization of fine anatomical structures, particular- ly in complex cataract cases," Dr. Devgan said. Dr. Braga-Mele has experience with the NGENUITY 3D Visualization System (Alcon). While this system was originally developed for retina surgeons, Dr. Braga-Mele said it's proved itself useful among cataract surgeons as well. "It has a 3D TV screen visualization capa- bility, and the newest software upgrades have improved light optimization, the ability to choose different color backgrounds to improve your depth of focus," she said. Dr. Braga-Mele spoke about the SeeLuma system (Bausch + Lomb), which she said offers digital binoculars or heads-up visualization on a Digital revolution hits visualization for cataract surgery continued on page 31 U ntil recently, visualization during cataract surgery relied primarily on an analog surgical microscope, an instrument whose core optical design has remained largely unchanged for nearly a century, outside of incremental advanc- es in optics and illumination. But digital visualization technologies that have already been on the market for several years are pushing cataract surgery toward in- creased precision, enhanced safety, and person- alized care. These technologies not only benefit patient outcomes, but there are also advantages for the surgeon, including increased efficiency, better ergonomics, teaching and training oppor- tunities, and more. "Over the course of my career in ophthal- mology, the transformation of intraoperative vi- sualization technologies has been remarkable," said Uday Devgan, MD, FACS. "When I began practicing, surgical visualization was largely dependent on conventional binocular operating microscopes with limited digital enhancement. Today, we're witnessing a shift toward digi- tal, immersive, and augmented visualization systems that have redefined how we approach anterior segment surgery." Dr. Weinstock uses the SeeLuma system. Source: Robert Weinstock, MD A fellow observes surgery with the NGENUITY system attached to a Leica microscope. Source: Robert Weinstock, MD