Chinese Surgeons at Sun Yat-sen University Perform Groundbreaking 5G Remote Eye Surgery Over 4,000 km
- MM24 News Desk
- Nov 5
- 3 min read
A pioneering medical team from Guangzhou has successfully completed China's first remote robotic eye surgery, using a 5G-connected robotic arm to perform a delicate retinal injection on a patient located over 4,000 kilometers away. The procedure, led by Professor Lin Haotian from Sun Yat-sen University, was executed with micron-level precision in less than seven minutes, marking a critical leap in bridging the healthcare gap between urban and remote regions.
In a remarkable demonstration of technological integration in medicine, surgeons at Sun Yat-sen University's Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center in Guangzhou remotely controlled a robotic system in Urumqi to treat a patient with a blinding retinal disorder. The successful surgery, which took place on Sunday, represents a significant advancement from theoretical feasibility to practical application in the field of high-precision telemedicine.
The procedure involved a retinal sub-injection, a meticulously delicate technique used to salvage vision in conditions like submacular haemorrhage. From their operating room in southern China, the surgical team guided a microscopic needle held by the robotic arm in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. They navigated the needle to the surface of the patient's retina, pierced it to a pre-determined depth, and delivered the medication—all through a stable 5G connection spanning the vast distance.
Professor Lin Haotian, the project lead from Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, emphasized the significance of this achievement. "This clinical surgery marks a key leap from feasibility to practicality in the field of remote high-precision ophthalmic surgery in China," he stated, according to Xinhua. The entire remote operation was completed in less than seven minutes, with the network maintaining perfect stability and the robot responding smoothly without any detectable tremor.
What makes this surgical breakthrough so transformative for Chinese healthcare? The ability to perform complex microsurgery across such distances could fundamentally address the imbalance in medical resources between developed coastal cities and inland regions. Patients in remote areas like Xinjiang could potentially receive world-class surgical care from specialists in top-tier institutions without the need for arduous travel.
The technical execution itself was extraordinary. Performing any eye surgery requires exceptional steadiness, but retinal injections demand precision at a microscopic level where even the slightest hand tremor could cause irreversible damage. The fact that surgeons could achieve this over a 4,000-kilometer distance with no latency issues demonstrates both the reliability of 5G technology and the sophistication of the robotic system.
This surgical milestone builds on China's ongoing efforts to leverage its advanced 5G infrastructure for healthcare innovation. The country has been rapidly expanding its telemedicine capabilities, but until now, high-precision procedures requiring sub-millimeter accuracy remained largely theoretical. This successful procedure proves that the combination of 5G connectivity and specialized surgical robotics can overcome the traditional limitations of remote surgery.
The implications extend far beyond this single procedure. As Professor Lin's team has demonstrated, the technology platform could potentially be adapted for various other microsurgical applications, bringing specialized surgical expertise to underserved populations across China and potentially other countries with similar geographical challenges.
Looking ahead, this breakthrough opens the door to more widespread implementation of remote surgical services. While further validation and regulatory approvals will be needed before such procedures become routine, the successful completion of this complex eye surgery suggests that the future of distance medicine may have arrived sooner than anticipated—transforming not just how surgery is performed, but who has access to it regardless of their geographic location.
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