The Role of Stereopsis in Microsurgical Performance on the EYESi Ophthalmic Surgical Simulator

Abstract

There remains a lack of objective evidence on whether stereopsis is necessary for an ophthalmic surgical career. The present study attempts to address this question by evaluating the surgical performance of subjects with different levels of stereoacuity using a virtual reality intraocular surgical simulator (EYESi, VRmagic Holding AG, Mannheim, Germany). Subjects were tested based on their stereoacuity level and stratified in 3 age-matched groups: normal stereo, subnormal stereo and patients with no measurable steroacuity. Subjects performed 3 attempts on a standardized microsurgical module on the EYESi VR simulator. Mixed repeated measure ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. This study showed that the simulated microsurgical performance on the EYESI intraocular surgical simulator of individuals with reduced and absent stereoacuity were statistically indistinguishable from those with normal stereoacuity.