Abstract
Purpose :
Videos are excellent educational tools for medical students to enhance comprehension of different surgical procedures. 3D present a promising, novel technology that allows greater understanding of the delicate and precise intra-ocular surgical maneuvers involved in retinal surgery. The objective of our study was to compare medical students' learning uptake of retinal surgeries by watching 2D vs. 3D videos.
Methods :
Three different vitreoretinal procedures (tractional retinal detachment, removal of exposed scleral buckle and four-point scleral fixation of an intraocular lens) were recorded simultaneously with a conventional recorder for two-dimensional viewing and a 3D: VERION 3D HD system using Sony HVO-1000MD for three-dimensional viewing. Two videos of each surgery were edited to have the same content, one video in 2D and the other in 3D side by side. 100 UMass medical students randomly assigned to a 2D group or 3D then watched corresponding videos on a MacBook Pro. Both groups wore BiAL Red-Blue 3D glasses and were appropriately randomized. Students filled out questionnaires about different surgical steps or anatomical relationships of the pathologies or tissues of the surgeries and their answers were compared.
Results :
The difference between medical students' comprehension in the groups viewing 2D vs. 3D extraocular scleral buckle videos were <10%, p>0.05. For the intraocular TRD videos, the 2D group correctly identified the type of surgery a greater percentage of the time (13% difference, p<0.05) and that the blood clot was sub-retinal (12% difference, p<0.05). However, the 3D group knew that the air bubbles were located in the vitreous cavity at a greater rate than 2D (12% difference, p<0.05). For the intraocular TSS videos, the 3D group correctly identified that the lens was being sutured to the sclera when compared to the 2D group (12% difference, p<0.05), and that the second instrument caught the suture behind the iris (24% difference, p<0.05).
Conclusions :
3D video may have value in teaching ophthalmic surgeries to medical students, especially for intraocular procedures. However, prior teaching of the surgical procedures and review of basic ocular anatomy may be necessary in order to ensure maximal teaching efficacy.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.