RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Design and implementation of an interactive simulator of corneal topography as a learning tool
A1 López De La Rosa, Alberto
A1 González García, María Jesús
A1 Piñero Llorens, David P.
A1 Molina Martín, Ainhoa
A1 Martínez Plaza, Elena
K1 Simulator, cornea, topography.
AB Introduction: Corneal topography is a technique that analyses the geometry of the cornea. It is used todetect ocular pathologies, fit contact lenses, and assist in refractive surgery. Learning the interpretationof corneal topographies is a complex task and highly depends on the availability of data from realsubjects. The aim of this study was to develop an interactive simulator of corneal topography andevaluate its implementation as a learning tool for university students.Methods: The development of the interactive simulator of corneal topography was divided into two parts.First, we generated images that simulated corneal topographies, covering the ranges of normal corneas,by using trigonometric formulas and RStudio. And second, we created a platform that enables interactionthrough buttons and slider bars. This functionality allows users to select the corneal radius, toricity,astigmatism axis, eccentricity, and scale type (absolute or relative) for each simulated cornealtopography. The final version was made available to all third-year students at the Optometry degree ofthe University of Valladolid (30 students). Finally, an anonymous survey was conducted, composed of8 questions with the Likert scale (from 1, “totally disagree”, to 5, “totally agree”) and 1 yes/no question.The questions involved the intuitiveness, concept and interpretation understanding, utility, satisfaction,and recommendation for future use.Results: From the 30 students (8 males and 22 females, with a mean age of 21.1±1.0 years), 25 studentsanonymously answered the survey. The Likert type question with the lowest score was “The simulatorhas helped me correct some misunderstanding errors in concepts that I thought I had understood”,whose median and interquartile range was 3.0 [3.0-4.0]; the question with the highest score was “Thesimulator is a useful learning tool to complement the rest of the tools used in class”, whose result was5.0 [4.0-5.0]; and the 6 remaining Likert type questions obtained the same result, 4.0 [4.0-5.0]. The 25students answered “yes” to recommending the use of the simulator for future students.Conclusions: The developed interactive simulator of corneal topography is a valuable tool for teachingcorneal topography within university specialties, such as Optometry and Ophthalmology. The positivefeedback from the Optometry students, highlighting their positive experiences at all levels, stronglysupports its implementation as a learning tool.
PB IATED Academy
YR 2024
FD 2024
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/75271
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/75271
LA eng
NO EDULEARN24 Proceedings, 2024, p. 2050-2054.
DS UVaDOC
RD 03-abr-2025