Virtual exams for trainee eye docs

June 14, 2018 Staff reporters

Medical students will soon be able to replicate eye examinations and learn first-hand how to diagnose hard-to-spot conditions which may otherwise go unnoticed, thanks to two Birmingham City University academics who have created a unique training system, which allows trainee doctors to use a virtual reality tool to experience which symptoms indicate health problems.

The new application uses a mobile phone and a virtual reality headset to show enhanced, close-up and moveable images of an eye’s interior to allow users to learn how to perform the correct diagnostic procedures when performing routine eye examinations.

It can be difficult for trainees to find patients with the right ailments for practice examinations, making it hard to learn what key indicators of health issues look like. Examinations over longer periods can also cause discomfort for patients. The new virtual reality system will eliminate these issues and allow doctors to use a mobile phone and virtual reality headset to view an array of conditions, spend time over their diagnoses and test themselves on which conditions are present.

It also provides the opportunity to use moving images and 360° views which replicate the conditions of a real-world examination instead of still photographs.