People from the 70s and 80s wished they had come across the wonders of playing video games. Imagine the ability to stand inside Mario’s mushroom world or Mortal Kombat Street without leaving the comfort of their homes.
These dreams have not only become reality for games in the form of virtual reality headsets, but this purpose has now developed beyond just games and entered the field of medicine. Particularly ophthalmology.
Perimetry is one of the most advanced and growing frontiers in software development, with the hope of making an oft-maligned process more accessible and comfortable to patients using these headsets. But like any innovative idea that gets advanced over time, there is so much progress that has been achieved, and this field is likely to see new players entering the market continuously.
Let’s recall the COVID-19 pandemic and its emphasis on patient safety, and how it presented significant challenges for vision care providers across the world. However, this also paved the way for some of these noticeable advancements in ophthalmic technology that are likely to last many decades. The Virtual Reality perimeter has revolutionized how medical practitioners perform eye exams using modern care practice.
Perimetry or visual field testing has always been a regular feature of annual eye tests. It has both its traditional and modern methods. Although the traditional bowl perimeter needs a low-light environment and is mostly set up in a separate room outside the example exam lane, virtual reality perimeter uses a pair of lightweight virtual reality goggles that are portable and can be used anywhere, even outside the medical examination office.
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This technology, as mentioned earlier, is rapidly advancing, and many VR perimeters like the Visual ETS comprehensive testing suite provide capabilities that extend beyond just field testing. These added features include visual acuity both near and far, low contrast visual acuity, pupillometry, extraocular motility, color vision and contrast sensitivity.
In this article, we are going to look at some of the benefits of this newly invented virtual reality visual field technology.
Benefits
If you have been following updates about the latest VR perimeter, you have likely once or twice had the thought of adding this platform to your own practice. First, they are portable headsets; second, they are extremely user-friendly and highly affordable and offer multiple benefits to both you and the patients.
Comfort
Among the top complaints patients make when it comes to visual field testing is how uncomfortable it is for them. It can create a sense of dread about the testing process, potentially making the patients stressed and anxious. Many glaucoma specialists say patients feel relief when they are given a chance to try the virtual reality headset.
The Virtual reality perimeter can be performed while sitting in the exam chair or even anywhere in the office. In fact, it can be used even in waiting rooms. This saves the stress of shuffling patients from room to room, which can impede parents’ flow. The system provides more comfortable and enjoyable experiences to patients, particularly children and the elderly.
Visual Reality platforms feature a special test for kids that is like a video game; what’s more, it saves the challenge of trying to fit their head into the adult-sized desktop perimeter. Both elderly and ADA patients will enjoy this added flexibility and accessibility.
Convenience
The VR headsets are portable, which makes them easy to use in the office environment, at home and even in a hospital setting. You don’t need to use a separate room or dark environment, and you won’t need any special patient prep before using them. And as mentioned earlier, you can perform multiple tests using the single compact headset.
Efficiency
Traditional perimeters are very time-intensive and need technicians to sit with the patient to make sure they are taking the test properly. Using the virtual reality visual field analyzer can save you from this stress and discomfort. For example, most VRP platforms have built-in virtual assistants that walk the patients through each step of the procurement process from the beginning to the end. With this solution, you save the need for constant monitoring and allow the technicians to do other tasks and assist other patients.
Furthermore, doctors who use VR perimetry headsets report notably shorter testing times, around 3-4 minutes, which leads to reduced exam times and the ability to tend to more patients daily. The test results can also be quickly and easily uploaded for seamless integration with the EMR/EHR software.
Hygiene
After usage, disinfecting the headsets is easy and fast, and can be done before the next patient enters. Many users report that it takes less time to sanitize their VR perimeters compared to cleaning the standard perimeter after each test.
Visit https://medlineplus.gov/eyecare.html to learn more about how to take care of your eyes.
Conclusion
Virtual reality visual field technology has been gaining recognition in recent years, offering numerous benefits such as efficiency, hygiene, comfort, and convenience. With this system, patients like children and the elderly don’t feel stressed about their eye exams. The best aspect of the technology is that it’s getting more advanced and innovative as time goes on, which means that along the way, it will become the simplest and easiest technology used for eye exams.
