Virtual Reality (VR) has come a long way from gaming. Today, healthcare is becoming one of the most exciting innovations. From helping patients manage pain, improving how doctors learn, to changing the way caregivers understand their patients, VR is opening new doors for medicine.
Let’s explore how VR is changing the healthcare world, and how Galeyo’s work with Virotea is part of that transformation.
Helping Patients Feel Better
VR is already helping patients deal with pain, stress, and anxiety. In several hospitals, patients wear VR headsets during treatments or recovery to immerse themselves in calming virtual environments.
One study showed that cancer patients who used VR during procedures reported less pain, and the effect lasted even for 24 hours. In another case, patients going through physical therapy recovered faster when VR made the exercises more engaging.
Instead of just lying in a hospital bed, patients could “walk” through forests, swim with dolphins, or even play interactive games, all while healing.
Training Doctors and Surgeons
Learning to become a surgeon isn’t easy. Traditionally, students learn from books, videos, or by watching experienced doctors. But with VR, they can now practice procedures in a realistic, hands-on way, without needing to be in the operating room.
At UCLA, students who trained in VR performed significantly better on orthopedic procedures than those who didn’t. They made fewer mistakes, completed tasks more quickly, and remembered the steps longer.
Other hospitals are using VR to rehearse complex surgeries. Surgeons can explore a 3D model of a patient’s body before ever making a cut. It’s not science fiction, it’s real, and it’s happening now.
Supporting Mental Health and Rehabilitation
VR is also helping people recover emotionally and physically. Stroke patients use VR games to rebuild movement and coordination. People with chronic pain or PTSD can “escape” into guided VR therapy sessions that ease their symptoms.
Even astronauts on the International Space Station have used VR to reduce stress and improve mental health during long missions in space!
Building Empathy with Virotea & Galeyo
One of the most powerful uses of VR isn’t medical, it’s human. That’s where Virotea comes in.
Virotea created a unique VR platform that helps caregivers understand what it feels like to live with dementia, autism, or other conditions. Through short, immersive videos, caregivers step into the world of the people they care for. They experience confusion, frustration, or sensory overload, just as a patient might.
This changes everything.
Galeyo is proud to work with Virotea to bring this idea to life. Together, we are helping shape the platform into a user-friendly, reliable tool that’s now used in elderly homes and disability care centers. The goal was simple: help caregivers build empathy and provide more thoughtful, compassionate care.
And it’s working. Care staff report stronger connections with their patients, better communication, and more confidence in difficult situations. It’s a reminder that tech, when done right, can make us more human, not less.
What’s Next?
The future of VR in healthcare is only just beginning.
From FDA-approved VR treatments for chronic pain, to virtual support groups for mental health, to new surgical simulators powered by AI, this space is growing fast.
At Galeyo we believe in using technology not just to build products, but to solve real problems. Our work with Virotea showed us how powerful VR can be, not just in hospitals, but in everyday care.
So, what’s next?
We’ll keep supporting innovative projects like this, ones that combine empathy, design, and tech to make life better. Because virtual reality isn’t just about putting on a headset — it’s about seeing things differently.
Interested in bringing VR into your healthcare work?
Let’s talk. Whether it’s training, patient support, or product development, we’d love to be part of the journey.