The Visique Simulation Lab opened its doors for the fall 2019 semester at the Universite de Montreal, and FYidoctors | Visique will be hosting an official celebration at the university clinic to celebrate the launch of the lab in October.
CALGARY, Alberta—FYidoctors | Visique, a leading optometrist-owned eyecare company, said last week that it participated in the launch of the Visique Simulation Lab in partnership with the School of Optometry, Universite de Montreal. The virtual reality simulation lab is the second of its kind to be constructed in Canada—the first, also in partnership with FYidoctors, was in Waterloo, Ontario, according to the announcement. The lab, which was made possible by a $350,000 investment from FYidoctors | Visique, will allow students of the Universite the 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 and see more conditions than they would in their current clinical experience. In addition, instructors will be better able to evaluate their students, the announcement noted.

The lab will initially include 3 Eyesi Bionocular Indirect Ophthalmoscopes (BIO), which are state-of-the-art augmented reality simulators for training of retinal examinations and provides 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 practice basic handling of the device and skills required to conduct a corneal exam, retinal exam and Gonioscopy &
Tonometry.

“Our business is built off the idea of providing exceptional care above all else,” Dr. Frederic Marchand, vice president of Visique and a Universite de Montreal alumnus, said in the announcement. “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.”

The learning lab’s simulation capabilities will provide students with hundreds of real patient cases, which will ultimately supplement their real-life clinical training, according to the announcement.

“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,” Christian Casanova, director and professor, School of Optometry, Universite de Montreal, said. “The new virtual reality training laboratory will provide a rich, interactive, engaging educational context, thus supporting experiential learning-by-doing.”