COLUMBUS, Neb. -- Cataract patients will now benefit from a new piece of technology at Columbus Surgery Center that allows surgeons to be more comfortable.

The digitally assisted surgery system, Ngenuity, not only enhances the way the surgery is performed, but also improves the surgeon’s health.

During traditional cataract surgery, the surgeon looks down through a microscope that sits over the top of the patient.

“With the Ngenuity system, we take off the microscope’s binoculars and put a camera on it,” said Billi Benson, director of Columbus Surgery Center. “The surgeon is looking straight ahead, sitting straight up and looking at a 3-D screen doing surgery.”

The system improves the surgeon’s posture, which helps them stay more relaxed and comfortable during surgeries.

“It is a very capable system, allowing us to sit more ergonomically by not putting as much wear and tear on the surgeon,” said Dr. Patrick Kelley, an ophthalmologist at Columbus Surgery Center. “Yet, we can still maintain high surgical professionalism and exceptionalism.”

The system also allows the rest of the staff inside the operating room to see what the surgeon is seeing through 3D glasses.

“The new Ngenuity system provides the surgery center with updated technology to better serve our patients,” said Keith Luedders, vice president of ancillary services at Columbus Community Hospital. “It also gives our physicians and staff another tool to improve the already great care that they give our patients every day.”

Besides Columbus Surgery Center, the only other facilities that are using Ngenuity in the state of Nebraska are in Lincoln and Omaha.

“It is a very sophisticated piece of equipment for this community,” Benson said. “Now, patients do not have to go to a bigger city to get the same benefits.”

The Columbus Community Hospital Foundation funded the new piece of technology. “The foundation bought us the equipment, but it is also making an investment in the future of the surgery center,” Benson said. “This technology will help us recruit new ophthalmologists and more.”