Application of 3D printed eye model in direct ophthalmoscopy training for medical students

Abstract

Objective To design an eye model that can simulate the fundus for teaching direct ophthalmoscopy and to evaluate its effectiveness. Methods Using 3D(3-dimensional) printing materials to creat an eye model and then randomly organized 92 eight-year medical students into two groups: group A (model training group) and group B (traditional training group). After training, real patients were invited to test the student for maximum time of 120 seconds for each student. That recorded the ability of the students to clearly see the optic disk and the time spend to determine the cup-to-disk ratio and whether the students were correct. Results Fourty-three students in group A (93.48%) successfully saw the fundus while 21 students in group B(45.65%) saw the fundus. The difference between the two groups was 47.83% and the 95% confidence interval was 29.59%-66.07% (P＜0.001). The median time to see the fundus was 29 seconds in group A; the 95% confidence interval was 23-45 seconds. Based on the lower limit of the 95% confidence interval, it was estimated that at least 80 seconds was required in group B. The P value of the log-rank test was ＜0.001. It proved that the operation in group A is significantly faster than that of group B. Conclusions This 3D-printed eye model significantly improved the students' learning interest, learning efficiency. This method should be shared by other medical institutions to train students in ophthalmoscopy.

Keywords

• direct ophthalmoscopy|teaching|eye model|3d printing