A fundamental virtual reality (VR) simulation system was installed on Wednesday at Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute and Hospital (IIEI&H) in the capital to provide eye surgeons with realistic, hands-on training aimed at enhancing their cataract surgery skills.
The system has been installed with the support of the international nonprofit organisation Orbis International, which builds strong and sustainable eye care systems globally to make treatment and prevention more accessible.
Adviser of IIEI&H Zahida Ispahani, Chief Executive Officer Brig Gen AKM Akhtaruzzaman (Retd), and Country Director of Orbis International Dr. Munir Ahmed inaugurated the system at a ceremony on the hospital campus on Wednesday.
Speaking on the occasion, Zahida Ispahani said the hospital authorities are very happy to have installed the much-desired simulator, which, she noted, would bring perfection to the training process and help shape the future ophthalmic surgeons of the country.
Describing the installation of the machine as another step forward, she said, “It will help accomplish our mission to make the highest quality ophthalmic care accessible to all people at an affordable cost by creating as much human resource capacity as we can in eye care.”
AKM Akhtaruzzaman said training through the VR simulation system would have a significant impact on the development of a comprehensive cataract surgical training pathway in Bangladesh.
Dr. Munir Ahmed said ophthalmic surgeons receiving training through the VR simulation system would gain greater confidence and competency, and their surgical quality would improve substantially.
“The introduction of the FVR system at IIEI&H will potentially facilitate the establishment of a Comprehensive Cataract Surgical Training Pathway, along with the completion of online Cybersight MSICS (cataract surgery) courses,” he added.
This is the third VR simulation system in Bangladesh, following the first one installed at the Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Complex (CEITC) and the second one at the Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons (BCPS). Orbis International has donated all three units of the state-of-the-art system.
Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute and Hospital Consultants Dr. ASM Moin Uddin and Prof. Sarwar Alam, Community Services Director Gazi Nazrul Islam Faisal, and Orbis International Director Dr. Lutful Husain and Associate Director Iqbal Hossain, among others, were present at the ceremony.
Simulation training, widely adopted across medical fields worldwide, allows professionals to practice complex procedures and manage rare complications without risk to patients. In ophthalmology, simulation has been shown to shorten the learning curve and improve surgical outcomes.