The Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center at the Sun Yat-sen University has achieved a milestone in the field of ophthalmic surgery by completing the world's first remote, micron-level surgery on rabbits using an independently developed 5G robot.

The surgeries took place on June 23 on rabbits at the center in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, with the surgical team operating the robot from the Hainan Eye Hospital at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center in Haikou, capital of Hainan province.

The trial was led by professor Lin Haotian's team, and all 12 rabbits operated on are in stable condition after a month of observation.

According to Lin, who is the director of the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, the breakthrough will help accelerate remote medicine in China, and elevate the country's medical devices and equipment to world-leading levels. It will also contribute to the development of national medical standards.

Lin said that this achievement has far-reaching implications in addressing the imbalance in the development of ophthalmology and the uneven distribution of topnotch medical resources across the country. In saving time for doctors and patients, reducing economic costs, and improving the efficiency of treatment, telemedicine has the potential to overcome such challenges.

"If everything goes smoothly, 5G remote micron ophthalmic surgery will be available to humans within half a year," he said.

His team has previously conducted similar surgeries on mice, pigs and other animals.

Huang Kai, a professor at the School of Computer Science and Engineering at Sun Yat-sen University, said the success of the surgeries shows that 5G robots are stable and accurate.

The success of the Guangzhou-Haikou surgery proves the stability and safety of the 5G remote micron-level ophthalmic surgical robot system, opening up promising prospects for its use.

"Ophthalmic surgery requires extreme precision and stability," said Huang.

His team is working with Lin to develop 5G robots and associated technology for use in surgeries of this kind.

Huang said they will work hard to speed up the implementation and promotion of 5G surgical robots, integrating digital telemedicine, independently innovative surgical robot technology, new digital therapy medical and health service systems, to achieve a superior level of medical treatment in the coming months.

Zhong Xingwu, vice-president of the Hainan Eye Hospital, said the success of the remote surgeries has great significance for the coordinated regional development of ophthalmic medicine.

"Innovative, high-precision ophthalmic technology is expected to play a role in helping alleviate the lack of high-quality medical resources for eye health," said Zhong.

He added that said he is expecting 5G remote micron-level ophthalmic surgeries to soon be available in a clinical setting, benefiting patients.