New VR tool revolutionizes eye care training

We are excited to announce our new immersive virtual reality (VR) training tool launched in partnership with FundamentalVR. The tool, launched at this year's American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) meeting, is specifically designed to help students and residents practice cataract surgery to improve patient outcomes for the world’s leading cause of blindness.

Despite being treatable with a relatively straightforward procedure, cataracts often lead to blindness because there are not enough trained doctors to do the procedure. With this scalable and affordable tool, doctors around the world will now be able to hone their skills, ensuring more patients can access the care they need.

The unique solution combines VR, haptic feedback, and off-the-shelf hardware to create an effective tool that can be used anywhere at little cost. The immersive simulation technology and real-time haptic feedback provide a realistic experience for eye-care professionals, so they can practice each step repeatedly before entering the operating room. This process of honing skills before performing surgery on patients is proven to yield better outcomes.

"We saw a real need that we could meet," says Dr. Hunter Cherwek, Orbis Vice President of Clinical Services and Technologies. "Most existing simulation training tools are expensive, not easily transportable or sourced, and/or train doctors on a surgical method usually only practiced in high-resource areas. Thanks to our partnership with FundamentalVR, we were able to bring a new VR solution to life that makes cataract surgical training accessible no matter where you live."

In addition to creating a virtual learning experience, the tool automatically monitors performance and gives real-time feedback. This is particularly useful for doctors in remote locations who may not have access to other teachers. Combined with Cybersight, our telemedicine and e-learning platform, eye care professionals can access a broad spectrum of ophthalmic training options.

We want to extend a huge thank you to all the partners and supporters who helped make this project possible. We could not have developed this tool without funding from the Silicon Valley Orbis Innovation Fund established by John A. and Susan Sobrato, Connie and Bob Lurie, Dr. David F. and Victoria A. Chang, and the ASCRS Foundation. With their support, we can continue to create innovative solutions to expand eye care training opportunities.

We would also like to thank FundamentalVR for their partnership. Together we have created an effective and affordable VR training tool and look forward to continuing to develop solutions for the treatment of glaucoma, strabismus, and other eye conditions.

Lastly, we would like to thank all of you—our supporters—for your dedication to helping us save sight. With your contributions, we can continue to push the boundaries of eye care innovation.