Students at the Univ of Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science are learning how to diagnose vision problems and eye diseases more quickly and accurately in a new virtual reality (VR) training lab. Known as the FYidoctors Simulation Lab, it represents the state-of-the-art in optometric education and is a first in Canada. The total cost of the facility was $1.5 million, of which $800,000 was donated by FYidoctors, a national chain of eye-care clinics that was founded 10 years ago by a group of Waterloo optometry graduates. The lab is equipped with VR headsets that simulate a healthy human eye as well as various eye and vision conditions, including macular degeneration and diabetes. In a second phase, the lab will add simulators that will help students develop more complex clinical skills.