Two Little-Known Lighting Tips for Better Visualization in the OR
ErgoPractice News – May/June 2025
By Jin Chang PhD
jchang@surgitel.com
Summary
When it comes to surgical precision, most surgeons know the value of excellent loupes and proper ergonomics, but lighting often gets overlooked. And yet, the right lighting setup can make a noticeable difference in clarity, comfort, and even surgical outcomes.
Here are two simple but powerful lighting tips that are easy to implement and surprisingly effective.
Want to Make Your Headlight Feel Brighter? Dim the Room.
It sounds counterintuitive, but the easiest way to make your surgical headlight seem brighter isn’t by increasing the intensity, it’s by reducing the ambient light in the OR.
When you dim the surrounding lighting, your pupils naturally dilate. That dilation allows more of your headlight’s focused beam to reach your retina, making the light appear brighter, sharper, and more defined, without any added glare or fatigue. It’s a simple adjustment that can significantly enhance clarity during critical moments.
Cool Light Isn’t Always the Right Light
Most ORs use bright, blue-toned LED lighting (sometimes called “cool white”) however, this isn’t always ideal for every procedure. Blue light works well in many cases, but when you’re working with delicate structures like nerves, tendons, and fatty tissue, it may cast a hue that makes it harder to distinguish between similar-looking tissues.
In these situations, a neutral or natural-toned light, closer to daylight on the color spectrum, can offer significant advantages. It provides more accurate color representation and improved contrast, helping surgeons better visualize fine anatomical details. This subtle change in lighting temperature can have a meaningful impact on surgical clarity and precision.
What Makes SurgiTel’s Headlights Different?
SurgiTel’s patented multi-lens LED system creates achromatic light beams, meaning all wavelengths of light are evenly mixed and distributed. This eliminates the “hot spot” effect seen in many single-lens headlights, where the center is overly bright and the edges are dim.
Why does this matter?
- You get a clear, even light spot across your field of view.
- There’s less glare, making it easier to perceive fine detail.
- Structures retain their natural color tone, reducing eye fatigue and helping prevent visual errors.
What Surgeons Are Saying
Dr. Steven J. Vander Naalt, a hand surgeon from Peoria, IL, shares his experience with SurgiTel’s neutral headlight:
“I have utilized the SurgiTel neutral headlight for years as a hand surgeon and recommend this light to any surgeon looking to improve their visualization in surgery. The natural light is an excellent choice for clearly distinguishing similar-colored structures, such as differentiating the nerves from the adipose tissue. Further, the SurgiTel headlight makes visualization in deeper spaces significantly easier and is the only light source I find necessary during surgery.”
Try It Risk-Free
All SurgiTel headlights and loupe systems come with a 45-day risk-free trial, so you can experience the difference in your own OR. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your lighting or simply fine-tune your setup, these small changes could lead to significantly better visualization.
Want help finding the right lighting solution for your specialty? Contact your local SurgiTel rep for a personalized demo.
