s improving. But for now, only a select few have experienced what will one day become a commonplace use of virtual reality. (Cox 40)Since the price of virtual reality continues to drop, perhaps the future will inhabit virtual reality in nearly every technological situation. Regardless, one thing is for sure: virtual reality is changing the way we see things.Those who view virtual reality as a benefit to our society, base their opinion on its success throughout numerous fields of study. However, the issue is not whether or not virtual reality works, but if it is truly beneficial. Not only could virtual reality become a great advantage when included in technological fields, but also when introduced into everyday life. Combining virtual reality with every day activity could prove to be the most beneficial technological advancement in time. As time advances so does our society’s knowledge in the field of medicine. Virtual reality can effectively simulate medical surgeries and emergencies, to productively train those studying the medical field. In former surgical training, trainees used the bodies of donated corpses to practice surgical techniques and precision. Recently, invasive surgery, brain surgery, and “telepresence surgery” have all been virtually recreated with advanced technology. Telepresence surgery uses a system, which allows a surgeon to operate on a patient at any location. According to the April 23, 1994 issue of the British Medical Journal, telepresence surgery could “…enable specialized surgeons to operate on patients [from] a distance” (McGovern 2). This would be a very beneficial addition to the surgical field. For example, a patient could request a specific surgeon to perform surgery on them from anywhere in the world. This would be necessary if the surgery was unusual and a surgeon specialist isn’t available nearby.The critical training of astronauts is also being a...
