Surgical Loupes: An Essential Part Of The Surgeons Kit

In the past few years there has been a huge growth in the number of different surgical procedures, and many of them now require that the surgeon can see in high detail everything that he does. In order to ensure that he can see things in detail, a surgical loupe is used. A surgical loupe is essentially a magnifying glass which can be operated hands-free. It is used in many types of surgery, but specifically in dentistry for aspects as crown work, and in body surgery such as vascular surgery, ENT surgery and plastic surgery, where the loupe may be used to view small arteries, tendons or nerves. This article will look at the various types of surgical loupes available on the market and discuss some considerations needed to be taken into account when buying one.

Surgical loupes are available in varying degrees of magnification, and loupe magnification chosen will reflect the job that it is intended for. General surgery will need a lower magnification, possibly of 2.5X, while more specialized surgery will need a high magnification loupe, which can be up to 5.5X. As a guide, a 3.5X magnification loupe is adequate for general cardiac surgery, but one of the higher magnifications, such as a 4.5X loupe or a 5.5X loupe, may well be needed for neurosurgery and surgery of the hand and tendon. Loupes are essential for viewing sutures in microsurgery.

The standard loupe magnifications tend to be 2.5X, 3,5X, 4.5X and 5.5X, with the higher magnification loupes cost being higher. It should be remembered that the magnification of a surgical loupe will affect the field of view (or field of vision as it is known), and this should be borne in mind when choosing a loupe for a particular surgical procedure. Any surgical loupe will need to have an extremely high resolution to enable the surgeon's view to be clear, and for this only the highest grade lenses should be used. Any loupe designated as a surgical loupe will have this as standard.

A lightweight loupe is something to be considered, since the lighter the better in terms of comfort. Another consideration is the depth of field of the loupe, with a wide depth of field being better to enable better clarity, though there will always be some reduction in the field of vision as the loupe magnification increases. When choosing a surgical loupe, ensure that the loupe allows you to set your particular angles of convergence and declination for optimum vision. The way the loupe is mounted is important, and can include spectacle-mounted loupes, flip-up loupes, and even headband-mounted loupes.

There are several manufacturers and supplier of surgical loupes, and these include Designs For Vision, which supply surgical loupes from 2.5X magnification up to 6.0X magnification, as well as a series of expanded field loupes for greater clarity and working area. The expanded field loupes are cataloged under numbers 3.5X-EF up to 6.0X-EF. Another supplier of note is Surgical Acuity, which make a wide range of surgical loupes, including the Dimension-3 TTL and the EyeMax flip up and designer versions.

A surgical loupe is an essential for today's surgeon, no matter the field of surgery he works in. Take time to do some research into the various loupe manufacturers and suppliers before making a decision as to which is the right loupe for your particular profession and surgery specialty.