CALGARY, Oct. 3, 2019 /CNW/ - FYidoctors | Visique, the world's largest optometrist-owned eye care company, has announced the launch of the Visique Simulation Lab in partnership with the School of Optometry, Université de Montréal. The virtual reality simulation lab is the second of its kind to be constructed in Canada – the first, also in partnership with FYidoctors, being in Waterloo, Ontario.

Made possible by a $350,000 investment from FYidoctors | Visique, the lab will allow students of the Université de Montréal the unique opportunity to simulate both common and rare eye disease in a virtual reality setting. Through the investment, students will be able to master difficult techniques, see more conditions than they would in their current clinical experience, and instructors will be better able to evaluate their students. Simply stated, optometrists will be better trained.

"Our business is built off the idea of providing exceptional care above all else," said Dr. Frédéric Marchand, Optometrist, Vice President of Visique and Université de Montréal alumnus. "Through this investment, we are taking it one step further and ensuring that future generations have access to the most modern training methods. It is of paramount importance for us to give back to the industry and help improve the educational experience for students, which will, in turn, help improve the quality of eyecare that is given to Canadians in the long run. I am personally thrilled to be able to do this in partnership with the Université de Montréal's School of Optometry as that's where I got my training."

The learning lab's simulation capabilities will provide students with hundreds of real patient cases, which will ultimately supplement their real-life clinical training. Together, the Université de Montréal alongside FYidoctors | Visique will continue to be at the forefront of optometric education by enhancing the learning experience for future generations of optometrists.

"Thanks to FYidoctors | Visique, the Montreal School of Optometry will take advantage of the recent advances in educational technology to offer the best learning experience to our students and enrich continuous education of the Quebec optometric community," said Christian Casanova, Director and Professor, School of Optometry, Université de Montréal. "The new virtual reality training laboratory will provide a rich, interactive, engaging educational context, thus supporting experiential learning-by-doing. By providing access to this new technology, FYidoctors | Visique demonstrates its commitment to education and health care, and to the development of the Montreal School of Optometry."

The Visique Simulation Lab opened its doors for the Fall 2019 semester at the Université de Montréal, and FYidoctors | Visique will be hosting an official celebration at the university clinic to celebrate the launch of the lab in October.

Backgrounder

The Equipment:

The lab will initially include 3 Eyesi® Bionocular Indirect Opthalmoscopes (BIO), which are state-of-the-art augmented reality simulators for training of retinal examinations and provides a highly realistic and dynamic 3D simulation of the anatomical structures of the eye and ophthalmoscope optics.

Phase two of the lab will be unveiled at a later date and include the addition of the Eyesi® Slit Lamp simulators. This technology will allow students to practise basic handling of the device and skills required to conduct a corneal exam, retinal exam and Gonioscopy & Tonometry. Through multi-tiered training provided by the Slit Lamp simulation technology, it will promote pattern recognition for retinal pathologies and provide competency-based assessments.

The Eyesi® BIO and Slit Lamp technology will allow students to examine a wide range of clinically relevant cases prior to interacting with their first patients. The simulated cases are based on real patient histories and were developed in cooperation with universities and eye specialists.

Simulation technology provides an authentic experience that provides the look and feel for the diagnostic skills of BIO and slit lamp examination. Students can practise as much as they need to reach certain milestones in a modular system that progresses in difficulty and complexity. The process begins with mastering the technical skills to image the fundus, and later incorporates real cases and images for examination and diagnosis.  The goal is to use precious laboratory time with faculty to transition students from good foundational skills to great diagnostic skills. 

The technology will train students to diagnose conditions and diseases that can be assessed and diagnosed through the simulation technology range from wellness through diseases. The simulation technology focuses on looking in the back of the eye to identify a wide variety of eye and health related problems.  Examples include:

Vision:

• Healthy Eyes
• Trauma – concussion
• Foreign bodies
• Amblyopia – lazy eye, a vision development disorder
• Uveitis – inflammation of the middle layer of the eye
• Keratoconus (curving of the lens)
• Detached retina

Diseases include:

• Macular degeneration
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Cancer
• Glaucoma

About FYidoctors and Visique

FYidoctors | Visique is a private, optometrist-owned-and-operated eye care company with its home office located in Calgary, Alberta and a fully automated, freeform laboratory and distribution facility located in Delta, British Columbia. FYidoctors | Visique is currently the world's largest doctor-owned provider of ophthalmic products and services, with over 500 optometrists servicing over 200 locations. To learn more please visit fyidoctors.com.

SOURCE FYidoctors