NEW YORK—Once considered the stuff of science fiction, wearable technology in health care—including fitness trackers, smartwatches and other personal monitors—is now mainstream. And the demand is clearly growing. According to a report from Insider Intelligence, consumers’ use of wearable technology to track their health has more than tripled in the past four years, and this year, more than a quarter of the population will be wearing these devices. When it comes to vision care, though, another popular wearable technology, virtual reality, has moved into the foreground. With millions of consumers worldwide now using virtual reality (VR) headsets for online gaming and other forms of entertainment, employing VR devices for diagnostics, vision training for patients and teaching eyecare professionals is becoming a natural extension of the technology.

Vision Monday examined how VR headsets and other wearable devices are transforming vision care in our May feature story titled “The Wearable Tech Effect.” We spoke with a number of suppliers and doctors to learn how wearables are being used to diagnose and treat patients for a variety of eye conditions, train eye doctors and increase accessibility for those with vision impairments.