Evaluation of a virtual reality simulator for learning direct ophthalmoscopy in student teaching

Background The use of direct ophthalmoscopy in non-ophthalmological specialties seems to be decreasing in the clinical routine. This could be due to a lack of training and thus an uncertain assessment. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and acceptance of learning direct ophthalmoscopy on a simulator in comparison to the classical teaching method among students. Material and methods Within the framework of the student block internship for ophthalmology, a total of 34 students took part in the project. The first group received classical training, the second group received simulator training. The learning success was assessed by an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Results The simulator training group showed a significantly higher points score in individual disciplines. The subjects in the classical group achieved a learning success in the OSCE of 78%. In the simulator-based group a higher score of 91% was achieved with a lower scatter in all subdisciplines. Discussion The patient and instructor-independent availability of the teaching materials, a reduction of light exposure for patients and test subjects, as well as a standardized and controlled mediation of physiological and pathological findings can be emphasized as advantages of the tested simulator. Conclusion The simulator-based training for learning direct funduscopy is effective. The virtual reality simulator evaluated in this project can improve the training of students and residents.