Virtual Reality as a Tool for Ophthalmic Examination

Abstract

In their daily practice ophthalmologists frequently face the problem of examining the vision abilities of immobilised patients. People affected by stroke or a demyelinating disease, who are often bedridden or struggle with movement disorders, are the best example of such a case. For such patients a relatively simple test becomes impossible to perform. The aim of this research is to transfer Ishihara colour test into virtual reality, thereby creating a mobile diagnostic tool for immobilised patients. Virtual reality headsets map the natural human perception of space and isolate the patient’s eyes from any external light, which allows to control fully the colour and intensity of displayed image. Moreover, the headsets are light and portable, therefore, useful in evaluating the eye condition of immobilised patients. Performing eye examinations on aforementioned patients will improve the quality of their life. The application was tested among patients with and without colour blindness disorder. The achieved results suggest that the proposed solution can be used in ophthalmologists daily practice. Moreover, it shows that the application can be developed in the context of other ophthalmic examinations such as visual acuity or perimetry.