Understanding lived disease experience with Virtual Reality
Can Immersive Technologies be invaluable tools in health education?
In 2017, I wrote a Huffington Post piece on the potential of immersive technologies (VR, AR & MR for medical education).
At the time I was completing an Masters in Clinical Education, during which I investigated the use of VR and other technologies to teach medical students anatomy, and to provide an immersive, human, insight into eye diseases.
The immersive nature of VR can unlock learning in those who might not learn in classic/didactic ways. It can enable realistic & safe practice, and I explored its potential for enhancing empathy and understanding by putting users in the shoes of patients with specific medical conditions or marginalized health experiences. Simulated eye diseases in virtual environments can provide medical students with vivid anatomical models to study, allow doctors to make earlier diagnoses of conditions like Parkinson’s disease that have visual symptoms, and help patients re-learn skills after strokes.
As VR headsets became more affordable and immersive, I hoped that their potential for healing, teaching and changing perspectives through visceral simulated experiences would continue to grow, but progress was a little slower than expected.
At the The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) Congress ’23, I was pleased to don a headset and be transported to experience different types of loss of vision and visual field defects. This was part of #TheEyesHaveIt campaign to raise awareness of visual impairment and address the need for proper care and support for individuals experiencing sight loss.
The campaign aims to emphasize that sight loss is not an inevitable outcome and that taking action is crucial to ensure people receive the necessary care at the right time. See more here:
Recently, a new VR experience has showcased what it’s like to live with vestibular migraine.
“Turbulence: Jamais Vu” is a VR experience showcased at Melbourne International Film Festival, aiming to replicate the sensations of this chronic vestibular condition. Co-created by Ben Andrews and Emma Roberts, it provides a glimpse into the disorienting world of perpetual movement and sensory conflict that characterizes vestibular migraines.
The experience distorts familiar environments, rendering them unfamiliar through techniques such as monochromatic visuals and inverted spatial perception. The creators explore the potential of immersive technologies to convey unique perspectives on medical conditions and disabilities and draws inspiration from disability art and challenges the normativity of technology usage. My only previous experience with this is the fantastic “Notes on Blindness”
Have you ever used immersive technology in this way, and has it helped you gain an additional understanding, or genuine emotions, of another person’s lived experience?
Turbulence: Jamais Vu is available to experience at Acmi, Melbourne, as part of the Melbourne international film festival, until 15 August.
