Dive Brief:
- ForSight Robotics has raised $125 million as it prepares for first-in-human robotic cataract surgery clinical trials this year.
- The Israel-based company said this week the funds will support the next phase of growth in the development of its Oryom platform, the world’s first robotic surgery platform for cataracts and other eye diseases.
- Participants in the Series B funding round include Eclipse, Intuitive Surgical co-founder Fred Moll, Adani Group and Reiya Ventures, among other investors.
Dive Insight:
ForSight is scaling up, having identified a need to expand patient access to eye surgery amid a declining number of ophthalmologists and growing demand for vision treatment.
The company cited a forecast from researchers at Vanderbilt University pointing to a 12% decline in ophthalmologists by 2035, alongside a projected 24% increase in demand.
Joseph Nathan, ForSight co-founder and chief medical officer, said in a statement that the urgent global need presents an “immense” opportunity for the company.
“We see ophthalmology as the next frontier in the robotics revolution – much like general surgery was before the rise of Intuitive Surgical,” said Nathan.
Starting with cataract surgery, ForSight’s platform aims to offer surgeons the dexterity, maneuverability and ergonomics to provide precise and consistent ophthalmic procedures, according to the company. The platform is designed to allow surgeons to navigate complex angles to reach any point in the eye, enabling glaucoma and retinal surgical treatment.
“The company is tapping into a massive, underserved market,” said Eclipse partner Seth Winterroth.
ForSight said more than two dozen ophthalmic surgeons have successfully completed hundreds of procedures on animal eye models using its platform.
In February, it received ISO 13485:2016 certification, an international benchmark for quality management systems in the medical device industry.
The company completed a $55 million funding round in 2022, and has raised a total of $195 million to date.
