VR technologies can play a vital role in the medical field.
Virtual Reality or VR is an artificial world created with computer technology, where the user is taken inside of a particular environment. Where he/she can, as per the simulation, look around at 360° angle, hear various sounds, touch 3D objects. Currently, it’s popular for the purpose of entertainment and gaming. Companies like Sony, Oculus, and HTC are among bestsellers in the VR tech industry.
But recently, this technology has also proved effective in the medical field. The experts are prescribing VR systems as a part of therapy for people with health conditions.
In November, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the authorization of EaseVRx as a prescription for 18 years old and above patients diagnosed with chronic lower back pain, to help reduce pain.
In medical experiments, the participants engaged in VR experience helped them distract which led to reduced pain, lessen general unpleasantness, and displayed a desire to use VR while under the painful medical procedure.
According to a medical report, “The VR acts as a nonpharmacologic form of analgesia by exerting an array of emotional affective, emotion-based cognitive and attentional processes on the body’s intricate pain modulation system.”
In another study, patients with breast cancer reported experiencing less pain and anxiety when provided with VR and morphine, than in comparison to only morphine.
In a recent article BBC reported, a patient who suffered hypoxic brain surgery, Sarah Hill, has been advised to complete-bedrest. In order to reduce her anxiety, her doctor prescribed a ‘Virtual reality kit’.
Sarah said, “I am unable to walk – and I can feel light and able to walk,” Adding, “You can go under the sea, look at all these fish. It reduces my anxiety. I find the virtual-reality kit very helpful.”
BBC reports, that after conducting various trials at the NHS (National Health Services of England and Wales), the UK government said, immersive technologies carry the potential to transform therapy and healthcare.
