Machine learning system for identifying a state of a surgery, and assistance function

A method and a system for generating an assistance function for an ophthalmological surgery are presented. The method includes capturing digital image data of a surgical microscope, which were generated during an ophthalmological surgery by an image sensor and which are annotated. The method furthermore includes capturing sensor data of a phaco system, which were generated during the ophthalmological surgery by a sensor of the phaco system and which are annotated, wherein the annotated sensor data and the annotated digital image data have synchronized timestamps and wherein the annotations refer in indicative fashion to a state of an ophthalmological surgery. Finally, the method includes training a first machine learning system by means of the annotated image data and the annotated sensor data to generate a learning model to predict a state of an ophthalmological surgery and, on the basis thereof, output a control signal, wherein the control signal is suitable for facilitating an assistance function in a subsequent use of the trained learning model during a prediction phase of a machine learning system.