Eyeworld

SUMMER 2026 | EYEWORLD | 43 R DIGITAL MOMENTUM by Ellen Stodola Editorial Co-Director About the physicians John Branch, MD Texas Vision Cedar Park, Texas Michael Greenwood, MD Vance Thompson Vision Fargo, North Dakota Susana Marcos, PhD Professor, Department of Ophthalmology Institute of Optics Director, Center for Visual Science University of Rochester Rochester, New York Eric Rosenberg, DO SightMD Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Westchester Medical Center Babylon, New York R ecently, simulator tools are becoming available within ophthalmology to help demonstrate the vision of certain lenses and aid patients in understand- ing the options available. Some of these are immersive VR platforms displaying synthetic scenes, while others are see-through optical simulators that let patients assess lens performance while viewing the real world. EyeWorld spoke to several doctors about the utility of this technology, as well as about specific products. While Eric Rosenberg, DO, has not yet used these products in his practice, he is interested. "The VR headset is completely immersive," he said. "Patients are educated about the lens with a video, then put in a 'virtual real life' setting where they can see objects in the distance clearly, and the closer the object gets in virtu- al reality, the more blurry it becomes if it is a monofocal lens targeting distance. Alternatively, if it is a multifocal lens, patients will be able to see how the object stays in focus throughout the journey from distance to near." These are important topics in the patient discussion, and vision simulators are another tool to help convey this information, he said. "We went to school for 20 years to be able to understand medicine, physics, and the eye. These patients have been in our office for 15 minutes, and although we may be excellent at explaining things, it's easy to understand why many patients get lost in the information. It is complex, and therefore, additional tools to help simplify the method are not only warranted but very welcome." Dr. Rosenberg expects to use VR simulators after his discussion with the patient before they meet with the surgical coordinator. "If a picture is worth a thousand words, a VR simulator is worth a thousand minutes of chair time." These simulators are relatively new. "My recommendation is to reach out to the compa- nies if this is something that interests you," Dr. Rosenberg said. "They have a lot of ground to cover, and helping [companies] identify those who are excited about the technology will be beneficial to you and the product in general." InSight VR by GreenMan Michael Greenwood, MD, highlighted InSight VR technology. Historically, IOL discussion has been rooted in face-to-face conversation. He begins these discussions by telling patients to think about the color green. But he and the patient could be thinking about a completely different shade of green. If he and the patient aren't on the same page with colors, how can they expect to be on same page with under- standing IOL options? "They've got to make a decision that's a once in a lifetime opportunity with their most precious sense," he said. There is a gap between doctor knowledge and patient education, though not for lack of trying, Dr. Greenwood said. He and Brandon Baartman, MD—co-creator of the technology— were tired of not being on the same level as their patients in terms of communication and understanding. "Brandon and I kind of simul- taneously had the same idea," he said, adding that about 3 years ago, they reached out to soft- ware developers to help make the idea a reality. "We think that the best way to educate a patient isn't with verbal education or showing them a picture; it's an experience where they get to test drive the different options ahead of time," he said. Visual simulators in ophthalmology: available options and functionalities continued on page 44 Top: InSight VR daytime monofocal toric lens simulation; bottom: InSight VR daytime multifocal lens simulation Source: Michael Greenwood, MD

• Blank Page
• Blank Page (1)