Abstract: Objective To observe the applicational value of virtual reality technology in ophthalmology clinical teaching. Design Prospective randomized controlled study. Participants 48 undergraduate students of ophthalmology internship in Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from March to October in 2019. Methods 48 students were divided into two group, the experimental group (24 students) and the control group (24 students) randomly. The experimental group were taught with virtual reality technology and the control group were given traditional teaching. They were taught with the anatomy, physiology and biochemistry of the eyes. Six teachers were randomly assigned, and each teaching time was 120 minutes. The students were tested after the course on the day and 1 month after internship. The students and teachers were evaluated by questionnaire. Main Outcome Measures Paper tests and questionnaire score. Results The average paper test score of experimental group (90.63±6.65) was higher than that of control group (86.04±8.07) (t=-2.147, P=0.037); the average paper test score for one month after class of experimental group (85.21±7.14) was higher than that of control group (78.54±9.50) (t=-2.748, P=0.009). The questionnaire score of students in experimental group (8.53±0.49) was higher than that of control group (7.49±0.58) (t=-6.701, P=0.000); the questionnaire score of teachers in experimental group (9.03±0.21) was higher than that of control group (8.17±0.47) (t=-2.907, P=0.044). Conclusion Compared with traditional teaching, the virtual reality technology in clinical ophthalmology teaching has potential advantages, and it is a new teaching method worth popularizing. (Ophthalmol CHN, 2021, 30: 240-243)

Key words: virtual reality, ophthalmology, teaching