Abstract
Purpose :
Strabismus surgery remains a difficult procedure to master, as opportunities for practice in the operating room and on simulators are scarce. The purpose of this simulation-based observational study was to assess the validity of our novel, high-fidelity, and cost-efficient (approximately $10 per unit) 3D-printed silicone strabismus model.
Methods :
Using the 3D modeling software Blender (The Blender Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands), we created an anatomically accurate rendering of an eye. A negative mold was then created and printed on a Prusa i3 MK3S (Prusa Research, Prague, Czech Republic) 3D printer using polyethylene terephthalate glycol filament. This study surveyed ophthalmology residents training at our institution who have used our strabismus surgery simulation model. The main outcome measures were survey responses regarding the anatomical and technical accuracy of the model and perception of the model in comparison with other available training materials. The survey questions were formatted using a Likert scale. Descriptive statistics and parametric t-tests were used to characterize survey responses.
Results :
A total of 8 ophthalmology residents participated in this study. None of the residents had previous experience in a strabismus surgery simulation setting or independently utilized practice models at the time of study participation. Of the participants, 4 (50%) had never performed a live strabismus surgery, 3 (38%) had performed 1 to 10, and 1 (12%) had performed 11 to 50. On a 5-point Likert scale, the model scored an average of 3.8 for overall anatomic accuracy (SD = 0.5, SEM = 0.2), with the muscle tissue being perceived to be slightly more anatomically accurate than scleral tissue (p = 0.09). The model also scored an average of 4.6 for utility to both developing coordination and maintain skills required to perform the surgery (SD = 0.5, SEM = 0.2). Participants largely expressed that access to a tool like this in residency would be beneficial (mean = 4.4, SD = 0.7, SEM = 0.3).
Conclusions :
Our study results indicate that a carefully designed, anatomically accurate strabismus surgery simulator could accelerate the learning curve of trainees and increase comfort with steps of the procedure that are difficult to learn in the operative setting. By making the printing instructions for our cost-effective model freely available, we hope to make the training process even more accessible.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.