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Patient Satisfaction with a Virtual Reality Education Tool for Advanced Technology Intraocular Lenses: A
Kathryn Poolman1, Jada Tschetter2, Arij Khan3
1Department of Ophthalmology, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND, USA.
Purpose:
To evaluate the impact of a virtual reality (VR) education tool on the adoption of advanced technology intraocular lenses (ATIOLs) and patient satisfaction among individuals undergoing cataract surgery.
Setting:
Five ophthalmology centers across the United States.
Design:
Retrospective, non-randomized, multi-center study.
Methods:
A total of 609 patients from five surgical centers were included. Patients were divided into two groups based on the education modality utilized during their cataract evaluation appointment: a VR group (n = 289) that received education using a VR headset and a control group (n = 320) that received standard verbal education from providers. The primary outcome measured was the rate of ATIOL selection at the initial cataract evaluation. Secondary outcomes included patient feedback on the VR experience, assessed via follow-up surveys at one week after evaluation and three months post-operatively.
Results:
ATIOL selection was significantly higher in the VR group compared to the control group. Overall, 165 of 289 patients (57.1%) in the VR group chose an ATIOL versus 91 of 320 patients (28.4%) in the control group (p < 0.001), representing an approximately two-fold increase in adoption. In the VR group, 83.6% of patients reported that the headset was easy or very easy to use. At three months post-operatively, 90% of survey respondents stated that their vision closely resembled what they saw in the VR simulation, and 90% indicated they would recommend the VR educational tool to others.
Conclusion:
VR may be an effective educational tool for enhancing patient understanding and satisfaction during IOL selection for cataract surgery. Its use was associated with increased adoption of ATIOLs and increased levels of patient-reported satisfaction. VR-based education may help set more accurate expectations for postoperative vision, potentially improving overall patient satisfaction with cataract surgery.