A double-blind randomized trial found that perioperative sub-anesthetic esketamine reduced postoperative depression and anxiety and improved sleep quality in patients undergoing acoustic neuroma surgery. The incidence of depression on postoperative day 1 was 7.7% in the esketamine group versus 31.6% in the placebo group, and on day 3 it was 0.0% versus 15.8%. Anxiety and sleep disturbances also significantly decreased. No significant differences were observed in immune function, postoperative pain scores, or adverse events between groups.
Drawing on Don Ihde's theory of instrumental realism, this paper examines virtual reality (VR) as a tool for phenomenological inquiry. It reviews how VR technology has prompted a technological revolution and is used to study subjective experience, perception, embodiment, empathy, perspective-taking, and altered states of consciousness. The paper argues that VR expands human perception and cognition, serving as an instrumental technology that opens new avenues for scientific investigation and transforms understanding of the world. By reflecting on the work of Husserl and Ihde, it revisits VR's potential to reshape how we experience and know reality.