FundamentalVR Expands into Ophthalmology

FundamentalVR launches full commercial ophthalmology capability

BOSTON – October 20, 2020 – FundamentalVR, global pioneers in immersive VR surgical skills training and skills data analytics, today announced the expansion of its surgical specialty capabilities with the addition of ophthalmology. Powered by the company’s patented HapticVR^TM technology architecture that mimics the physical cues of surgical actions, medical tools, and tissue variations, FundamentalVR can now create immersive, data-driven medical educational simulations for ophthalmology as well as orthopedic device and pharmaceutical brands.

Traditional ophthalmology teaching methods and the way Life Science brands, medical institutions, and students interact, typically include; classroom lectures, instructional videos, medical meetings, operating room (OR) observations, and tissue-based wet lab training, which is considered the gold standard for medical training. Low-cost immersive simulations now offer solutions to continue remote, socially distant learning, while accelerating skills transfers, thanks to the ability to collect and objectively measure performance data previously unattainable.

An established player in surgical education, FundamentalVR simulations are delivered through its Fundamental Surgery platform that allows users to experience the same sights, sounds, and feelings they would in a real OR. Combining HapticVR technology with high fidelity graphics, proven accredited educational strategies, and analytics of previously unmeasurable data points, Fundamental Surgery allows users to acquire both the technical knowledge and the muscle memory essential in developing surgical skills.

Every user interaction from the surgical gaze, respect for tissue, and movement efficiency is measured and recorded to provide a level of analysis and measurement. In addition to increasing knowledge transfer, this detailed, unique data insight enables life science businesses to drive consistency and compliance for their medical devices and procedures.

The expert knowledge has been used to create tailored solutions for Life Sciences companies and a cataract surgical simulator for the global eye care NGO Orbis International. The highly regarded organization works to end avoidable blindness by training eye care teams in low and middle-income countries so they can save and restore vision in their communities. Orbis is deploying FundamentalVR’s educational simulation for cataract surgery in select residency training programs and prospective digital training hubs to evaluate the impact on residents’ surgical skills and obtain user feedback to inform further software developments.

Simulations, featuring the interactions with human tissue essential for learning, can be created to cover various ophthalmology procedures. These interactions include incisions, trocar placement, scleral tissue manipulation, lens manipulation, lens implant insertion, posterior chamber manipulations, bimanual manipulation of the eyeball, and subretinal injections.

“Industry analysts now estimate adoption curves for immersive technologies have accelerated by around three years as COVID-19 permanently changes traditional teaching methods,” said Richard Vincent, co-founder and CEO of FundamentalVR. “With the addition of ophthalmology capacities, we are meeting this increased demand with proven technology that allows medical device companies and medical educators to more effectively train the next generation of surgeons and bringing innovative new procedures and equipment to market permanently.”

The Fundamental Surgery platform offers a more scalable, affordable, and flexible training solution to existing VR solutions that require dedicated labs, specialized equipment and large investment. Already in use by medical device manufacturers and teaching centers of excellence across the globe, it is equipment agnostic able to work with a range of off-the-shelf equipment, such as Oculus Quest and HTC Focus Plus headsets, and can be used remotely by an unlimited number of simultaneous users. Its notable benefits to medical educators and Life Science companies include:

Part of a Blended Immersive Technology Mix: Offers various modalities that fit with each stage of the learning pathways and can be used individually or all work together for each business use case, ultimately reducing time and cost while increasing capability and confidence.
Remote and Multiuser Education: Allows for an unlimited number of users to meet, interact, and teach within virtual classrooms and operating rooms. Join, monitor, and access remotely from anywhere in the world.
Scalable: The low-cost platform, which uses off-the-shelf hardware and can be transported easily, enables a scalable software-based platform that is future proof and provides a robust infrastructure to ensure content consistency and ease of updates instantly disseminated across all users globally.
Haptics & High fidelity Graphics: Utilizes HapticVR, which combines VR and cutting-edge patent protected haptics that mimics the physical cues within a submillimeter accuracy of resistance.
Data and Cloud-Based Analytics: Every user interaction and decision is measured and recorded to provide a level of analysis not previously available. Specific metrics include economy of movement, 3D spatial awareness, surgical gaze, respect for tissue, and human factors such as dealing with adverse events and complications.