A New York eye doctor just completed the first cataract surgery ever performed using a mixed reality headset. Dr. Eric Rosenberg from SightMD used the Apple Vision Pro to see clearly inside a patient’s eye during the delicate operation. After finishing the initial surgery back in October 2025, the medical group announced that its doctors had successfully repeated the process for hundreds of additional cases.
Custom software streams live microscope video directly into the headset
To make this work, the doctor relies on a program called ScopeXR. This software connects with standard digital microscopes normally found in operating rooms. It sends a live, three-dimensional video feed straight into the Apple device. This setup allows the surgeon to see the eye in full depth while also viewing important patient data floating nearby.
Because the program is built to work with equipment that hospitals already own, it makes adoption much easier. The medical group says its main goal is to bring helpful tools into the surgery room without forcing locations to buy entirely new camera systems.
By simply plugging into the existing microscope, the doctor gets a clear and immediate view of the procedure.
The system lets other doctors watch and help from anywhere
Another big benefit of the Vision Pro setup is how it handles remote viewing. Other surgeons and medical students can connect to the live feed and see exactly what the main doctor sees in real time. They can even talk back and forth during the operation to offer advice or answer questions.
This remote access completely changes how medical students learn to do eye surgery. Instead of crowding around a single monitor or trying to look over a shoulder, a student can watch the entire process up close from a different room.
SightMD expects this approach to become much more common as the technology gets cheaper and lighter in the future.
