The Importance of Stereoacuity in a Virtual Reality Model of Strabismus Surgery

Abstract

Stereopsis is a binocular phenomenon that gives rise to high-level depth perception. In simulated intraocular surgeries subjects with normal stereopsis tend to perform simulated surgery with better accuracy and efficiency than subjects with reduced or absent stereopsis. There is little known about the role of stereopsis in strabismus surgery. This study used a novel virtual reality strabismus surgery simulator to investigate the role of stereopsis in strabismus surgery. This study aimed to determine if the longstanding absence of stereopsis impacts the accuracy, completion speed, and efficiency of a task simulating an important step in strabismus surgery. Our surgical simulation program failed to collect the appropriate data due to technological and design limitations. This study discusses considerations we recommend for developing a strabismus surgery simulator to revisit the role of stereopsis in simulated strabismus surgery.