ESCRS - FP29.04 - Virtual Reality Simulation And 3D-Printed Surgical Models Improve Surgical Performance In Trainees And Consultants Within Their First Two Years Of Practice.

Virtual Reality Simulation And 3D-Printed Surgical Models Improve Surgical Performance In Trainees And Consultants Within Their First Two Years Of Practice.

Published 2023 - 41st Congress of the ESCRS

Reference: FP29.04 | Type: Free paper | DOI: 10.82333/7acx-qp38

Authors: Ivo Ferreira 1 , André Tapia* 2

1Anterior Segment,Instituto de Oftalmologia Conde de Valenciana,Mexico,Mexico, 2Asociación para evitar la ceguera IAP,Mexico City,Mexico

Purpose

To evaluate whether mentor-guided training with a Virtual Reality (VR) simulator and 3D printing artificial eyes improves surgical performance in trainees and early-stage consultants via validated surgical evaluations tools.

Setting

  • Two separate groups of ophthalmologists were assessed, with 30 ophthalmic surgeons in each group:

 

  • Consultant ophthalmologist surgeons within their first 2 years of practice. 
  • Ophthalmology residents currently enrolled in an ophthalmology training program.

Methods

Two groups of ophthalmic surgeons were evaluated pre- and post-simulation training, using actual cataract surgical videos. Pre-simulation, each surgeon reviewed their last 10 cases, while post-simulation, they reviewed the next 10 sequential uncomplicated cases. Videos were graded with ICO-OSCAR and NOTSS or a 1-5 scale. A VR simulator and 3D printed eye models were used in simulation training, with guidance from expert mentors focusing on psychomotor, cognitive, and mindset skills.

Results

  • Surgeons hailed from: Mexico, United States, Argentina, Ecuador, Honduras, El Salvador, Barbados, Perú, Colombia, Brazil and Uruguay and had an average age of 35 years old (SD 2.1) The sex distribution was 48% male and 52% female surgeons.

 

  • Group 2 (ophthalmology residents) saw a statistically significant improvement (p<0.05) in mean ICO-OSCAR and NOTSS score.

 

  • Group 1 (early-stage ophthalmic consultants) also showed a statistically significant improvement (p<0.05) in pre and post surgical evaluations done by the experts in our score and NOTSS score.

 

Conclusions

Simulated cataract surgery training using high fidelity VR coupled with simulated cataract surgery on artificial eyes using common phacoemulsification equipment can significantly improve performance of ophthalmology residents and early-stage ophthalmic consultants if done with the correct methodology and expert surgeons who are trained as surgical mentors.