Effect of Supplemental Condition-Specific Video Education on Patient Understanding in Vitreoretinal Surgery

In-person patient education is central to surgical counseling and informed consent. However, with verbal discussion alone, there may be limited understanding of complex vitreoretinal procedures. This study evaluated whether supplemental condition-specific Vidscrip video education improves patient-reported understanding among individuals undergoing vitreoretinal surgery.

This comparative study enrolled 40 English-speaking patients undergoing vitreoretinal procedures at an academic ophthalmology center between January 1^st and December 31, 2025. Patients were randomized to receive standard preoperative physician counseling alone or counseling supplemented with procedure-specific Vidscrip educational videos. Postoperative understanding was assessed using a structured telephone questionnaire administered between 1 week and 1 month after surgery. Five shared items assessed understanding of the eye condition, treatment options, surgical risks, postoperative care, and visual prognosis using 0-10 rating scales. Additional Vidscrip-specific items evaluated perceived usefulness, effect on questions or concerns, and comparison with in-person consent and other educational resources. Responses were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test.

Twenty patients were assigned to the Vidscrip group and twenty to standard counseling. Mean patient-reported understanding scores were high in both groups, with no significant differences for eye condition (9.25 vs 9.50, P=0.636), treatment options (8.35 vs 9.10, P=0.920), surgical risks (8.95 vs 9.45, P=0.462), postoperative care (9.30 vs 8.88, P=0.627), visual prognosis (8.55 vs 9.55, P=0.118), or total score (44.4 vs 46.5, P=0.792). Nonetheless, 65.0% of Vidscrip patients reported enhanced understanding after viewing, 65.0% reported fewer questions or concerns, and 90.0% felt the platform would be a helpful adjunct for procedural physicians.

Supplemental condition-specific video education did not significantly improve postoperative patient-reported understanding compared with standard counseling alone, although most patients in the video group reported that it enhanced their understanding and considered it a helpful adjunct. Most patients continued to prefer in-person communication for clarification and follow-up discussion.