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Democratizing Vitreoretinal Surgery Training With a Portable and Affordable Virtual Reality Simulator in the
Fares Antaki1,2,3,4, Cedryk Doucet5, Daniel Milad2,3,6
1The CHUM School of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Translational Vision Science & Technology
|April 2, 2024
Summary
RetinaVR, a virtual reality simulator for vitreoretinal surgery, shows promise as an affordable and portable training tool. Performance improved with practice and correlated with expertise, demonstrating its construct validity.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Surgical Education
- Virtual Reality Technology
Background:
- Vitreoretinal surgery training requires specialized skills.
- Traditional training methods can be costly and limited in accessibility.
- Immersive virtual reality (VR) offers a potential solution for surgical simulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate RetinaVR, an affordable, portable, and immersive VR simulator for vitreoretinal surgery training.
- To assess the simulator's ability to train core vitrectomy, peripheral shaving, membrane peeling, and endolaser application.
Main Methods:
- RetinaVR was developed as a standalone app for the Meta Quest 2 VR headset.
- A validation study included 20 novices and experts measuring efficiency, safety, and module-specific performance.
- Statistical analyses included effect size, linear mixed-effects modeling, and heatmap analysis.
Main Results:
- Experts showed higher safety in membrane peeling and better performance in core vitrectomy.
- Male subjects demonstrated faster peripheral shaving and membrane peeling.
- A learning curve was evident, with improved efficiency and safety through repeated practice across all modules.
Conclusions:
- RetinaVR is a validated, affordable, and portable VR simulator with construct validity for vitreoretinal surgery training.
- The simulator's performance metrics correlate with user expertise, age, sex, and practice.
- VR technology holds potential to revolutionize surgical training accessibility, particularly in underserved regions.
