VR Eye Experience: Groundbreaking Tech

Recently, Alcon approached Elara to create an experience that presented ocular anatomy and physiology in an immersive experience. And they wanted it to be unlike anything the eye care industry had ever seen. An exciting challenge for Elara that quickly became an opportunity to bring in their partner Microsoft to bring the latest in Virtual Reality experiences to the medical industry.

Alcon, a global leader in medical device and over the counter eye care technologies, wanted their clinical education and training to be as advanced as their products. Their desire was to create an experience that presented ocular anatomy and physiology in an immersive experience, unlike anything the eye care industry had ever seen. Elara’s expertise in Virtual Reality was selected as the technology for this platform as it is among the most flexible tools to educate and inform physicians, medical professionals, and students.

Over the course of four months, The Virtual Eye Experience progress from an idea on paper to a fully-developed Virtual Reality journey through various anatomical components and interactive training mechanics. Introducing Virtual Reality as an innovative new approach to visualize and learn through immersive, anatomically accurate, interactive environments was already a great challenge, but getting the average physician to engage in this new technology was a possible barrier. Elara knew that creating a compelling and relevant story within the environment was critical to adoption of this new tool, and the resulting experience needed to initiate a conversation between medical professionals about the future of clinical education and training.

Understanding target demographics, we understood that the nature of the experience had to appeal to the users on varying levels. While some users would be already comfortable “moving” in the virtual world created, most users would need to be gently guided and nudged. Keeping motions simple and familiar to the physicians, yet engaging and active, ensured that the experience would be comfortable and memorable.

Based on the reception the final product had at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons Conference, all the efforts were worthwhile! The users admired the amazing combination of medical anatomy and cutting-edge technology. Witnessing physicians, eye care professionals, and Alcon staff alike commend both the clinical accuracy and future of medical training was an overwhelmingly valuable and rewarding experience. Physicians immediately supported Virtual Reality as a groundbreaking and effective medium for communicating complex medical concepts through a visual, immersive narrative.

A favorite scene for all in the Alcon Virtual Eye Experience was the final journey at the conclusion. It ushered the user into the optical nerve, placing them inside a colorful fiber-optic pipe of twisting light that represented the visual stimuli travelling through the optic nerve. A beautiful and vibrant punctuation for their senses, and a poetic epilogue to the training.

To distribute and manage numerous VR experiences, Alcon required a capable and robust platform. For efficiency’s sake, while simultaneously producing the Virtual Eye experience, our team constructed the Alcon VR Command Center. Not only does this robust platform allow users to navigate and launch various VR content, but it enables global content distribution, analytics, and compliance control for each experience within the distribution center.

At major steps within our production cycle, we meet with our clients to ensure that we’re producing the experience that best elevates their business. Allowing educated physicians speak and offer their feedback along the way has helped ensure that the anatomy and physiology is accurate. Elara is immensely proud of the work we’ve produced alongside Alcon. The opportunity to merge the cutting-edge technology of VR and the advanced methods of clinical education and training is beyond rewarding.

Be sure to also check out our VR Trade Show Experience and VR Medical Training posts.