Differentiating flip-up loupes and through the lens loupes

Differentiating

flip-up loupes

and through the

lens loupes

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Dental loupes are available in various designs, types, and styles but the two

most common types are the flip-up loupes and the through the lens loupes.

Though they share the same purpose and use flip-up loupes and through the

lens or TTL loupes differ from each other in many ways. Among their major

differences are in terms of optical barrels positioning, price, customization,

and weight.

One of the innovative products of high technology is the dental loupe. It is a

magnification optical aid that magnifies the dental professional's view by

magnification the images seen through its optical barrels or lenses. Dental

loupes are available in various designs, types, and styles but the two most

common types are the flip-up loupes and the through the lens loupes.

Differentiating flip-up loupes and through the lens loupes

Though they share the same purpose and use flip-up loupes and through the

lens or TTL loupes differ from each other in many ways. Among their major

differences are as follows:

Optical Barrels Positioning

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The optical barrels of the flip up optical magnification loupes are attached to

the hinge mechanism which is connected to the carrier frame, allowing the

operator to quickly flip them down when in use and flip them away when not

in use. If you need to talk with a patient, and magnification is no longer

needed, you can easily flip up the barrels without removing the entire loupe

from your face. You can also adjust it anytime according to your preferred

angle of declination. However, this feature may not be always available to all

brands and designs of flip-up loupes.

On the other end, the optical barrels of the through the lens loupes are

directly drilled into the carrier lens of the dental loupes. Unlike the flip-up

loupes, there is no way you can adjust the angle of declination of the TTL

loupes. You can't also flip away the barrels when not in use just the way

flip-up loupes do. If you no longer need to use magnification for a certain

task, you need to completely take out the entire loupe from your head.

Customization

In terms of customization, through the lens loupes require more

customization as compared to flip-up loupes. You can rarely find a premade

TTL loupe that meets all your specific measurements. TTL loupes are

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custom-made to fit the operator's optical needs like the working

distance, interpupillary distance, prescription, and desired angle of

declination. Since the barrels are fixed into the carrier lens and there is no

way the operator can manually adjust them, all these measurements should

be precisely followed to ensure utmost comfort and better quality

experience.

Flip-up loupes required less customization in terms of angle of declination

and interpupillary distance. Though measurements still need to meet the

operator's specific requirements, it can easily be adjusted. For instance, if you

need to adjust the prescription, you will just have to add prescription on the

carrier lenses without affecting the optical lenses. For TTL loupes, you need

to have your prescription added to a new carrier lens and that means

drilling again the optical barrels into the new lenses.

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Price

Since TTL loupes require more customization, they are expected to be more

expensive than the flip-up loupes. Resale is also quite challenging for TTL

loupes unless you find a perfect match. Whilst, flip-up loupes can be sold

more easily as they are not totally custom-made. Further customization for

TTL loupes like adding new prescription is more costly since more work is

needed.

Weight

The weight is the major advantage of TTL loupes over flip-up loupes. TTL

loupes are lighter than the flip-up loupes. This is because the optical barrels

are drilled directly into the lenses and because of the absence of the hinge

mechanism which adds up to the total weight of the flip-up loupes. This is

also one of the primary reasons why many dental professionals choose TTL

loupes especially those who are looking for a light optical magnification aid

which they can use for long hours without feeling tired or uncomfortable.

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