Abstract
Background
The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) for learning ophthalmic anatomy and to determine whether peer-assisted facilitation produces learning outcomes comparable to expert-assisted facilitation among preclinical medical students. A secondary objective was to contextualize learning outcomes by comparing performance of preclinical students with that of senior medical students receiving expert-assisted VR instruction.Methods
This is a prospective controlled experimental study with repeated-measures assessments. Second-year (preclinical) medical students without prior formal ophthalmic anatomy instruction were recruited voluntarily (peer-assisted n = 31, expert-assisted n = 32). Exclusion criteria included previous VR-based ophthalmic anatomy training, history of severe motion sickness or vertigo, or refusal to provide consent. In addition, fifth-year medical students undertaking their ophthalmology clerkship participated in a parallel prospective pre-post cohort (n = 61 baseline; n = 55 completed the intervention). All participants first attended a conventional didactic lecture on ophthalmic anatomy. Second-year students then completed an immersive VR learning session exploring a stereoscopic 3D model of the globe and adnexa using a head-mounted display. Sessions were facilitated either by an anatomy faculty expert or by trained peer facilitators. Fifth-year students completed the same instructional sequence with expert-assisted VR only. The primary outcome was change in anatomy knowledge measured by a 20-item assessment administered at baseline (T0), after didactic instruction (T1), and after VR (T2).Results
Among second-year students, knowledge scores improved significantly across timepoints (repeated-measures ANOVA: F(2,124) = 251.0, pConclusions
Peer-assisted facilitation produced learning outcomes comparable to expert-assisted instruction while maintaining high learner satisfaction and minimal simulator sickness. These findings suggest that peer facilitation may represent a scalable approach for implementing VR-based anatomy education.