Eyeworld

100 | EYEWORLD | APRIL 2022 About the physicians Meenakshi Chaku, MD Glaucoma Service Director Loyola University Medical Center Maywood, Illinois Anuradha Khanna, MD Vice Chairperson of Education Department of Ophthalmology Loyola University Chicago, Illinois by Ellen Stodola Editorial Co-Director G UCOMA Dr. Khanna created a 3D model of the eye with anatomy and was able to correlate clinical pathology as well. In virtual reality, there is the capability of instant dissection that is color coded and easily understandable, she said, and students can practice what's going on clinically and how to diagnose the patient. Dr. Khanna was in the middle of expanding content for this model when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the hardware and learning center she was using became inaccessible. "I had more time, so I thought maybe we needed something more mobile," she said, adding that this is how she began to develop the module now known as OcuSim. Dr. Khan- na made the technology compatible with the Oculus headset and found the option was well received. The company donated a number of headsets to her university. Immersing students in the eye can help prepare them with the fundamental concepts, Dr. Khanna said. "They can go in and look at ev- ery structure," she said. "Then when they read [ophthalmology textbooks], they garner a lot W ith many expanding technolo- gies in ophthalmology, it makes sense that teaching modalities in the field would expand as well. Anuradha Khanna, MD, created the OcuSim virtual reality training, designed to be used specifically with the Oculus headset, to help teach some of the anatomy and knowl- edge needed in ophthalmic training. Dr. Khanna explained how she developed this technology and how it's used at her university. Meenakshi Chaku, MD, discussed how she's finding it particularly useful in glaucoma educa- tion and training. Dr. Khanna noted that she was getting commendations for her teaching, and this moti- vated her to look at how adults learn and what educators need. When deciding what to pursue, Dr. Khanna said she came upon virtual reali- ty and in 2010 decided that she was going to write a 3D book in ophthalmology. In 2014, she was able to create the first prototype, and she introduced it in the ophthalmology department at Loyola University, where they began to use it for medical students and residents. Using virtual reality for glaucoma training continued on page 102 Residents participate in the OcuSim virtual reality training at Loyola University. Source: Anuradha Khanna, MD

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