Starting in July 2015 UNESP Ophthalmology residents will begin practicing cataract surgery and microsurgical skills on virtual patients.
As the first academic residency program in Brazil to acquire the
Eyesi surgical simulator residents in the city Botucatu (SP) now can
realize unlimited and risk free practice for every intraocular step of
cataract surgery.
This is made possible through the innovation of
the German-based company VRmagic who specialize in virtual reality
simulators for ophthalmology training. “The simulator is an amazing tool
which allows training under the microscope, use of the pedal and
variations of phaco parameters during capsularhexis,
phacoemulsification, aspiration cortical mass and IOL insertion”, states
Dr. Antonio Carlos Rodrigues, director of surgical training at UNESP.
Using
virtual reality as part of the formal resident training experience will
serves a unique and progressive teaching tool to expand the surgical
experiences of novice surgeons before they attempt live surgery for the
first time. “Having the equipment in our service, the residents now
never start phacoemulsification in patients without having completed
their training on the simulator, it would be unethical”, explains Dr.
Antonio Carlos Rodrigues.
Dr. Antonio Carlos Rodrigues, director
of surgical training at UNESP, along with Dr. Silvana Schellini, Dean of
Medicine, at UNESP were responsible for the decision to invest in high
fidelity simulation to help Ophthalmology all UNESP residents better
master key surgical skills for anterior segment surgery
Systematic
use of simulation also can provide surgical mentors objective
assessments of a resident’s readiness to undertake live surgery.
The initiative is a reflection of UNESPs on-going commitment to provide the best possible surgical training for its residents.