Lifelike Eyeball Simulators Give Dean McGee Eye Institute Residents and Medical Students High-tech Hands-on Training

OKLAHOMA CITY – It looks, feels, and responds like a real eyeball – the EyeSi Surgical Simulator is now giving ophthalmology residents at the Dean McGee Eye Institute (DMEI) a lifelike way to practice eye surgery. Paired with the EyeSi Direct Ophthalmoscope Simulator, which helps medical students master eye exams, these high-fidelity virtual reality tools offer immersive training with over 100 simulated eye conditions. Together, they are revolutionizing how future ophthalmologists and other physicians are trained.

The Eyesi Surgical Simulator offers an immersive environment for training. Through the simulator's binoculars, trainees see the virtual surgical field in stereo and high resolution while operating with lifelike surgical instruments. The highly realistic simulation of interaction with tissue in real-time increases trainees’ surgical experience without the risk of a “live” setting.

“The simulators allow you to train in ways that are just not possible with any other tools,” noted Nitish Sood, MD, an ophthalmology resident at DMEI. “You can do the same procedure again and again, measure your progress, and receive feedback and grades as you learn.”

“I’ve seen firsthand how surgical simulation—especially with the EyeSi system—dramatically enhances patient safety by allowing residents to build critical skills before ever stepping into an operating room,” said Andrew Melson, MD, Dean McGee Eye Institute Residency Program Director. “The structured, self-paced curriculum not only accelerates learning but empowers trainees to practice deliberately and confidently without risk to real patients."

The Eyesi Direct Ophthalmoscope Simulator provides state-of-the-art training in direct ophthalmoscopy, the use of a handheld instrument to examine the back of the eye, assess eye health, and detect potential issues. Medical students can interactively examine virtual patients of varying ages and ethnicities, enhancing their diagnostic skills in a lifelike training environment.

“With the direct ophthalmoscope simulator, we are modernizing medical education but also inspiring it,” noted Tammy Yanovitch, MD, Dean McGee Eye Institute Director of Student Education. “The system’s immersive technology excites learners, drives retention, and positions our institution at the forefront of innovation.” 

“Using the direct ophthalmoscope has been invaluable in developing my skills in performing basic eye exams,” said Rishika Garg, a student at OU College of Medicine. “As a medical student, learning to visualize and identify ocular structures accurately is a common struggle, and it’s made even more difficult when using outdated or suboptimal equipment. Having access to this direct ophthalmoscope has allowed me to see features of the vision globe, such as the tiny interior surface of the eye clearly and also reinforced my confidence in applying the techniques we’re taught in clinical training. It’s one thing to memorize anatomy, and it’s another to visualize it in a real patient. This tool helped bridge that gap for me.”