title: Performance of patients with deficient stereoacuity on the EYESi microsurgical simulator.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the performance of individuals with deficient stereoacuity with that of individuals with normal stereoacuity on a microsurgical task using the VRMagic EYESi Ophthalmosurgical Simulator (VRmagic Holding AG).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, experimental study at a single institution.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects with abnormal stereoacuity and controls with normal stereoacuity completed a total of 4 attempts on 2 standardized microsurgical tasks on the EYESi Simulator. Performance was quantified using a 60-point scale, and scores were compared using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test with a significance level of .05 assumed for all tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-one subjects with deficient or absent stereoacuity and 21 control subjects with normal stereoacuity were included. The mean age of both groups was 31.5 years (range, 10 to 64 years). Twenty-nine (69%) participants were male. The 2 groups did not differ in age or gender. For each of the 4 module attempts, the Wilcoxon rank-sum test showed significantly better performance of individuals in the control group compared with the study group (P < .001). Additional attempts did not result in improved performance by the study group compared with the control group. No significant associations were observed between performance scores and age or gender.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study compared the performance of patients with deficient stereoacuity with that of those with normal stereoacuity in microsurgical tasks. Individuals with normal stereoacuity performed better than those with deficient stereoacuity in a simulated microsurgical task. A larger and more complex study may be necessary to validate the findings of the present investigations.
authors.affiliation: The Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.
authors.forename: Reecha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sachdeva
authors.forename: Elias I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Traboulsi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003867:Depth Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult