ErgoPractice News – October 2013
By Jin Chang PhD
[email protected]
Summary
There is a great variety of loupes and headlights being sold to clinical professionals. Some are made very well and some very poorly. It is difficult to spot the difference. Unfortunately, there are no government standards controlling the quality of loupes and headlights, despite the fact that improperly made products can be very harmful to one’s long-term health.
Improperly designed or fitted loupes can create serious ergonomic problems such as eye strain, headaches, neck pain/injury, and upper back pain/injury. Improperly designed LED headlights may also stress and damage vision.
Loupe customizations that affect ergonomics include working distance (WD), inter-pupillary distance (IPD), and declination angle (DA). Among these, DA is the most critical.
The Evolution of Loupes
Loupes were originally developed for visually impaired patients and later adopted in surgery and dentistry.
There are two main types of loupes: TTL (Through-The-Lens) and FLM (Front-Lens-Mounted).
SurgiTel introduced fully customizable FLM loupes allowing true declination angle optimization for improved posture and comfort.
Custom FLM loupes allow users to adjust and re-adjust working posture more flexibly than traditional systems.
Misinformation Perpetuates Pain
Many clinicians suffer chronic pain due to improperly designed loupes and incorrect ergonomic assumptions.
- Neck and back pain is not an unavoidable part of dentistry.
- Poor declination angles force harmful posture.
- Choosing loupes based on peers often leads to incorrect fit.
Recommendations
Select loupes based on ergonomic fit (WD + DA), not marketing claims. If pain exists, ergonomic evaluation is recommended.
