Starlight Virtual Reality is a state-of-the-art technology program that delivers happiness to seriously ill kids and families through a variety of 20+ pre-loaded, curated games, apps, and other experiences to help distract kids during difficult medical procedures or to help them relax, laugh, and just have fun.
It is the first general use VR program for hospitals that includes a customized, thoroughly wipeable, and wireless hospital-ready headset with content that allows patients with limited mobility to sit up or lay down and control their experience using a remote or only their head.
Our Impact
1,800+
Starlight Virtual Reality units have transformed the hospital experience at 310 health care facilities for over 18,000 seriously ill kids
$10 can provide 10 hours of virtual reality for a seriously ill kid
Donate $10Starlight Kid Story
In reality, 7-year-old Grady is wheelchair-bound, who received weeks of treatment and physical therapy at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul, Minnesota. In virtual reality, he explored the streets of London, pointing at the double-decker bus that rolled by, seemingly only a few feet away. Grady was one of the first patients to use Starlight Virtual Reality while he was recovering from spinal surgery. Even with limited mobility, he was able to travel the world.
Can Virtual Reality replace general anesthetic or pain medication?
“In certain circumstances, Virtual Reality can be used in place of general anesthesia to help tolerate pain, and in fact, it is having a profound impact on the quality of our hospitalized children’s experiences. We are seeing children who used to require general anesthesia during certain procedures, now able to be fully awake with minimal medications.”
– Joe Albietz, MD, Medical Director at Child Life, Children’s Hospital Colorado
Give a Virtual Reality unit to your local hospital
Provide a VR unit to your local hospital with an $1,800 gift and be recognized as a sponsor
The Future
Starlight is currently optimizing 1,800 Starlight Virtual Reality headsets at hospitals across the country to provide new content and updates. Starlight’s goal is to continue positively impacting the hospital experience for every child, so they can benefit from immersive technology that helps lower stress during hospital procedures.
Starlight is researching resources for a companion device that would mirror VR content to a phone or tablet to allow a medical professional to see, setup, or guide the patient.
Starlight is pursuing advancements in the quality of the VR experience to improve experiences for patients prone to dizziness and nausea.
Starlight will continue to work on specialized content creation like 360° custom hospital tours and multi-player apps. Starlight’s goal is to allow hospitals to create their own VR content, with help from Starlight, to develop content specific to their facility.
- Samuel Rodriguez, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, Lucille Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University“We can re-orient the headset with just a click of the button for a child who needs to lie flat on their back. We will continue to make modifications for the clinical setting.”
Starlight Virtual Reality program delivers happiness through the following ways:
Play
Virtual reality is a highly interactive experience that engages children through both structured and unstructured activity
Entertainment
Immersive and stimulating content combats boredom, anxiety, and isolation
Normalization
Providing activities kids enjoy in their everyday lives helps make an unfamiliar place feel safe and even fun
Procedural Support
Being immersed in a virtual experience decreases anxiety and stress, making medical procedures less challenging for patients and clinicians
Emotional Support
The ability for a child to be in control helps reduce anxiety during hospitalization and medical procedures
Pain Management
Usage can help manage pain and distress associated with a variety of medical procedures by encouraging patients to relax and breathe through the discomfort
Physical Therapy
Games can provide an opportunity to practice motions that can lead to reports of lower pain levels and an increased range of motion
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Starlight’s VR program supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3
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