While VR and its even more immersive sibling, augmented reality, have been slowly trickling into the field of medicine in recent years, it wasn’t until 2021 that the dam broke and let loose a flood of AR and VR into the industry. 

Virtual reality headsets have been around for years, but for much of their history they have been largely confined to the realm of novelty accessories for high-tech gamers. In the realm of healthcare, the COVID-19 pandemic placed new value on going virtual, and the past year has marked a turning point with many of those far-fetched technologies finally becoming a true reality, backed by a deluge of venture capital funds and regulatory greenlights.

If 2021 was the year that immersive technologies finally found their footing in MedTech, it stands to reason that 2022, in turn, will be the year that patients, providers and tech developers finally begin reaping the benefits of AR and VR.

Among the areas of MedTech already experiencing major VR and AR-induced changes is ophthalmology. But perhaps even more ripe for revolution by way of VR and AR is the field of robotic surgery.

The odds are good: A recent market research report estimated that between 2021 and 2026, the market for VR in healthcare will grow nearly 35% annually, swelling to more than $40 billion by the end of that time. That’s a far cry from the comparatively meagre $2.7 billion space that VR carved out in medicine in 2020.

Source: Fierce Biotech