Apple Vision Pro First Used in Cataract Surgery, Pioneered by New York Ophthalmologist
A New York ophthalmologist has made a new record in medical applications, becoming the first surgeon globally to use the Apple Vision Pro spatial computing headset during cataract surgery. This also provides another symbolic case for the landing of Apple's high-priced headset in professional and enterprise-level scenarios.
It is reported that Dr. Eric Rosenberg of SightMD completed the first cataract surgery assisted by Vision Pro as early as October 2025, and has since completed hundreds of similar surgeries on the same platform. He and others jointly developed a surgical platform called ScopeXR for Apple's mixed reality device, which is used to directly transmit the real-time image of a 3D digital surgical microscope to the Vision Pro. With this system, surgeons can observe the surgical field in a stereoscopic 3D format within the headset and overlay pre-operative examination and diagnostic data onto the image.
ScopeXR also supports real-time remote collaboration, allowing other surgeons to virtually "join" the operating room and remotely view the same surgical view as the primary surgeon. Rosenberg stated in the company's press release, "We can now bring the world's best surgeons into any operating room at any time, from anywhere." He emphasized that this technology can help them obtain immediate expert support, from resident physicians just beginning to operate independently to experienced doctors encountering unexpected situations during surgery, thereby "truly democratizing expertise and ultimately saving more people's vision."
This case also highlights Apple's accelerating push to apply Vision Pro in enterprise and professional fields, rather than being limited to consumer entertainment devices. Due to its high starting price of $3499 and bulky size, the device has struggled to gain popularity among ordinary consumers. In recent years, Apple has increasingly emphasized the application prospects of Vision Pro in vertical industries such as healthcare, aviation training, and industrial design, where the functionality of the device more easily justifies its cost.
Apple had previously stated that Vision Pro was not a mass-market product from the outset. However, market enthusiasm is said to be "cooling down faster than expected," with reports that many early adopters "deeply regret" purchasing the device. The latest news indicates that Apple is not actively pushing the development of the next-generation Vision series headset, but is shifting its R&D focus to a more lightweight smart glasses form factor, in which Meta has already taken the lead. Apple launched an upgraded version of Vision Pro equipped with the M5 chip in October 2025, which was the first hardware update since the product line was released.