Eye Explorer: A robotic endoscope holder for eye surgery.

Background: Holding endoscopes by hand when performing eye surgery reduces the dexterity of the surgeon.

Methods: A robotic endoscope holder called "Eye Explorer" is proposed to hold the endoscope and free the surgeon's hand.

Results: This device satisfies the engineering and clinical requirements of eye surgery. The force for manual operation is less than 0.5 N. The observable ranges inside the patient's eye considering horizontal and vertical perspectives are 118° and 97°, and the motion of the holder does not interfere with the surgeon's hand and other surgical devices. The self-weight compensation can prevent the endoscope from falling when extra supporting force is released. When comparing the external force exerted on the eye by the Eye Explorer with that in case of manual operation, a decrease of more than 15% can be observed. Moreover, the consumption time of endoscope view adjustment using the Eye Explorer and manual operation does not significantly differ.

Conclusion: The Eye Explorer allows dual-hand operation, facilitating a successful endoscopic eye surgery.