Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026
Assessing Binocular Central Visual Field and Binocular Eye Movements in a Dichoptic Viewing Condition
Published on: July 21, 2020
Vision functionality and user comfort following the use of binocular indirect ophthalmoscope simulator
Karola Panke1, Elina Karelska1, Reinis Alksnis2
1Department of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia.
Clinical Relevance:
Headset-based simulator training is increasingly utilised in eye care education, offering opportunities to improve clinical skills in a controlled, reproducible environment. These tools support the development of innovative training approaches in eye care.
Background:
While the educational advantages of headset-based simulators are recognised, the potential challenges and limitations that users may encounter remain understudied. This study investigated changes in user comfort and vision functionality following a 40-minute headset-based simulator training of indirect ophthalmoscopy.
Methods:
Fifty-four participants aged 20 to 45 years (21 eye care professionals and 33 optometry students, analysed as a single group) underwent a 40-minute training session using the Eyesi binocular indirect ophthalmoscope simulator. User comfort with a custom-designed symptom questionnaire and visual functions using the RAF ruler, von Graefe technique, and prism bars were assessed before and immediately after the headset-based simulator training session.
Results:
Following the headset-based simulator training, there was a significant recession of both the near point of convergence (p < .001) and the near point of accommodation (p < .001). Baseline visual functions correlated with changes following headset-based simulator training, specifically near point of accommodation (r = 0.32, p = .02), horizontal near heterophoria (r = -0.37, p = .01), horizontal far heterophoria (r = 0.27, p = .04), blur point in positive fusional reserves (r = -0.61, p < .001), recovery point in negative fusional reserves (r = -0.36, p = .01), and AC/A ratio (r = -0.51, p < .001). Questionnaire results indicated a significant increase in discomfort following the headset-based simulator training (p < .001).
Conclusion:
Forty-minute headset-based simulator training can lead to altered vision functionality and pronounced discomfort in some individuals, highlighting the variability in individual responses to training indirect ophthalmoscopy skills in video see-through augmented reality.
