Treffer: Virtual simulation system in cataract education for medical undergraduates: a prospective quasi-experimental study.

Virtual reality (VR) simulation has transformative potential in medical education by allowing risk-free practice of clinical procedures in anatomically accurate, immersive environments. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual reality simulation teaching model for cataract surgery in undergraduate medical education, compared to traditional teaching methods. A prospective study was conducted with 71 undergraduate students majoring in ophthalmology and optometry at Nanjing Medical University, divided into an experimental group (n = 35) and a control group (n = 36). The experimental group received practical training using a VR simulation model, while the control group received traditional offline practical training. Teaching effectiveness was assessed in three modules-clinical reasoning competency, clinical diagnostic proficiency, and surgical technical skills-through dual-mode assessments based on both the VR simulation platform and traditional methods. Results showed that the experimental group scored significantly higher in both traditional and VR assessments (P < 0.05). In the traditional assessment, the experimental group scored higher in Total Score (82.22 ± 4.34 vs. 76.83 ± 5.14), Clinical Reasoning Competency (12.61 ± 0.81 vs. 12.01 ± 0.81), Clinical Diagnostic Proficiency (48.98 ± 3.33 vs. 46.03 ± 3.96), and Surgical Technical Skills (20.64 ± 0.79 vs. 18.79 ± 1.67). This advantage was even more pronounced in the VR assessment, with the experimental group showing substantial superiority in Total Score (84.06 ± 4.85 vs. 71.06 ± 6.84), Clinical Reasoning Competency (10.57 ± 2.19 vs. 9.08 ± 2.06), Clinical Diagnostic Proficiency (52.17 ± 2.83 vs. 43.36 ± 4.01), and Surgical Technical Skills (21.31 ± 2.19 vs. 18.61 ± 2.93). The virtual reality simulation teaching model significantly enhanced medical students' clinical thinking, clinical diagnosis, and surgical operation skills, outperforming traditional teaching methods.
(© 2025. The Author(s).)

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was approved by the ethics committee of the affiliated eye hospital of nanjing medical university (Approval No. 2023015), and written informed consent obtained from all the participants. Consent for publication: Participants were assured in the consent form they signed the publication of the data will not indicate their names or any identification information. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Conflict of interest: None declared.