Ergo Practice News logo June 2019

Build Your Personal Loupes with SurgiTel

ErgoPractice News – June 2019
By Jin Chang PhD
jchang@surgitel.com

Choosing a new pair of loupes can be daunting because there are a large number of factors to consider before purchasing your first pair of loupes. Some of these factors are more visible and others are more functional. Visible factors are frames (shape and color) and headband (shape and color). These visible factors can be decided easily, but functional factors are related to selecting the magnification power for your vision needs and determining the viewing angle of loupes for your ergonomic posture: Vision and Ergonomics. Most loupe companies today will claim that their loupes are ergonomically designed loupes but will sell you “one size fits all” loupes or mislead you by understating your personal ergonomic requirements to build ergonomic loupes, but are unable to build true ergonomic loupes.1

SurgiTel was founded to provide clinicians with safe vision products and has made many inventions for ergonomic loupes and eye-safe LED headlights. In this issue of ErgoPractice News, we will review all the important factors to help you build your personal loupes to meet your vision and ergonomic requirements.

Loupe Mounting Types

SurgiTel offers two types of custom loupes: Front-Lens-Mounted (FLM) loupes and Through-The-Lens (TTL) loupes. With custom FLM loupes users can re-customize the declination angle and adjust the field shape as they desire, with TTL loupes users cannot change the declination angle and adjust the field shape as they desire.

If you choose to make your custom TTL loupes with any manufacturer, you should make sure that your custom loupes will allow you to work with a safe head tilt (less than 25-degrees) to prevent working with an excessive head tilt of more than 25-degrees. Anyone who works outside of this safe range is putting themselves at risk of developing chronic neck pain and other injuries.2

Who Should Consider Custom FLM Loupes?

Figure 1: FLM Loupes

With custom FLM loupes, users can re-customize the declination angle and adjust the field shape by fine-tuning the inter-pupillary distance. Since FLM loupes are mounted in front of eyeglasses, an Rx change can be made easily by your local optician (Figure 1).

Custom FLM loupes may be the best choice for:

  • Those who want to find the best working posture by trying different declination angles.
  • Those who have a low nose bridge. For these clinicians the distance between eyes and eyeglasses (lenses) for FLM loupes or the optics for TTL loupes may be too close to the eyes, resulting in eyelashes touching the lenses and poor peripheral vision.
  • Those who may have to perform procedures that require radically different working postures.

The main difference between FLM and TTL loupes is that oculars of FLM loupes are mounted in front of eyeglasses and oculars of TTL loupes are mounted into eyeglasses.

Who Should Consider Custom TTL Loupes?

Figure 2: TTL Loupes

With custom TTL loupes users cannot adjust both declination angle and field shape (Figure 2).

Custom TTL loupes may be the best choice for:

  • Those who know their optimum declination angle and do not want to change their declination angle.
  • Those who have a high nose bridge. Since the distance between eyes and eyeglasses is long, optics of FLM loupes may be too far from the eyes, reducing the field size.

Why Is SurgiTel the Best Custom Loupe Manufacturer?

SurgiTel was founded over 25 years ago to develop the best ergonomic loupes which help clinicians work safely. SurgiTel has invented key technologies needed for both custom FLM and TTL loupes which can allow us to fit any facial features.

  • Magnification models are available with both FLM and TTL styles3:
    • Micro line loupes (2.5x – 4.5x)
    • Compact line loupes (2.5x – 4.5x)
    • Prism Pro line loupes (5.5x – 8.0x)
  • Unique frames for ergonomic TTL loupes at any custom declination angle
  • Lightweight, yet sturdy FLM mounting fixtures (patented) which can be used with high power loupes
  • Interchangeable custom nose pads for various nose types
  • Eye safe LED headlights which improves the performance of loupes

SurgiTel is the only company that offers ergonomically fitted loupes for all facial features in both FLM and TTL styles.

Why SurgiTel FLM Loupes?

Several reputable companies such as Zeiss and Heine offer precision FLM loupes, but they are very heavy because their mounting structures are heavy metal. SurgiTel invented lightweight mounting structures. SurgiTel FLM loupes are lighter than other TTL loupes. Pair your loupes with our new Ergo Fit Nose Pads to wear your loupes more comfortably than ever before.

Why SurgiTel TTL Loupes?

SurgiTel designed special frames (patented or patent pending) and invented special assembling methods to build truly ergonomic loupes which will help all customers with different facial features work with a safe head tilt. We offer high power loupes with Oakley Radar frames which offer optimum eye protection and meet our ergonomic frame requirements. Our new Ergo Fit Nose Pads are also compatible with TTL loupes for the user’s maximum comfort.

Special Offers to SurgiTel Customers and Their Friends and Families

As we keep improving and innovating, we hope you will continue to grow with us. As a “Thank You” we have special offers and discounts to returning customers and referred customers. Check with your local SurgiTel representative for more details.

To contact your local sales representative go to Find a Rep or call 1-800-959-0153.

 


References:
  1. Chang, BJ. “MultiPoint ErgonomicsTM Loupes: Prevent BOTH Back and Neck Pain,” ErgoPractice News, January 2018. https://surgitel.com/multipoint-ergonomics-loupes-prevent-both-back-and-neck-pain/
  2. Chang, BJ. “Can Loupes Help Prevent Musculoskeletal Disorders?” ErgoPractice News, September 2017. https://surgitel.com/can-loupes-help-prevent-musculoskeletal-disorders/
  3. Chang, BJ. “SurgiTel’s Achievements in Clinical Vision & Ergonomics,” ErgoPractice News, May 2019. https://surgitel.com/surgitels-achievements-in-clinical-vision-and-ergonomics