VisioSurgical Solutions Launches Compact Robotic Platform for Retinal Surgery

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Oct. 29, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- VisioSurgical Solutions, a Swiss medical robotics company founded by the team behind the first retinal surgery robot, has launched with the aim of bringing compact surgical robots to every retinal surgeon. The company, founded in 2026 by Marc de Smet, Patricia Zilliox, and Bryan Robb, seeks to revolutionize retinal surgery by offering precision better than 10 microns, a level of accuracy that surpasses the limitations of the human hand.

De Smet, a practicing retinal and cataract surgeon and a pioneer in retinal robotics, brings to the table his experience as the co-founder and chief medical officer of Preceyes, whose system performed the first robot-assisted retinal surgery in a human and was acquired by Carl Zeiss Meditec in 2022. Zilliox, with a background in ophthalmic drug and device development, served as the former CEO and President of Eyevensys, the former CEO and President of Eyevensys, and held key roles at the Foundation Fighting Blindness Clinical Research Institute and Alcon Laboratories from 1998 to 2011. Robb, with a focus on business development and corporate finance, previously worked on a USD 2.1 billion licensing deal at AC Immune in Lausanne.

The new company, headquartered in Lausanne, is developing a compact robotic head that will use the surgeon’s existing microscope and intraoperative imaging, making it adaptable to any operating room. This innovation aims to bring retinal surgery into the surgeon’s own practice, addressing the limitations of current room-sized robotic systems, which are both expensive and limited in availability. Currently, fewer than five robotic systems are in clinical use worldwide, and the roughly 3,000 retina specialists in the United States face some 3.3 million patients with vision-threatening macular diseases or diabetic retinopathy.

The VSS system is designed to deliver precision better than 10 microns, with tremor filtering, motion scaling, and force limits that protect the retina. The human retina is about 250 microns thick, making this level of precision critical for successful surgeries. The robot is an extension of the surgeon’s hands, not a replacement, ensuring that the surgeon remains in control at every step.

Kaleidoscope Innovation, a medical device design and engineering firm based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been selected to develop the robotic platform under the direction of de Smet. The development process will start with the concept phase and a first prototype, alongside a confirmation study in Lausanne of the company’s approach to retinal surgery without vitrectomy. The first applications will be retinal surgery and the precise delivery of gene and cell therapies to the retina, with glaucoma and cataract applications following.

VisioSurgical Solutions is currently raising a seed round to initiate the concept phase and the first prototype, with a later Series A funding round planned to support the development of the robot through clinical readiness. The company aims to make retinal surgery more accessible and precise, ultimately benefiting a broader range of patients.