Vision functionality and user comfort following the use of binocular indirect ophthalmoscope simulator
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Published on: July 21, 2020
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.
