Dental Asia March/April 2023

IN DEPTH WITH
Choosing the best loupes
Dr Jin Chang enumerates the wide range of loupes developed by SurgiTel to help
clinicians determine the best magnification products for them.
With the introduction of ErgoDeflection
loupes, SurgiTel now has four main
categories of ergonomic loupes:
ErgoDeflection through-the-lens (TTL);
Straight TTL; Frame mounted straight
front-lens-mounted (FLM) and Headbandmounted
straight FLM.
SurgiTel Loupe Categories
ErgoDeflection TTL Loupes
The ErgoDeflection line of TTL loupes allows
the most upright work posture. If you have
had neck surgery or have a condition where
you need to be in a very upright position,
these are going to be the best choice for
you. There are two key differences between
SurgiTel ErgoDeflection loupes and others
on the market.
First, ErgoDeflection loupes use new patent
pending prism which allow us to customise
the viewing angle to give you the right
amount of reach distance between you and
the patient. The second key feature is that
ErgoDeflection loupes use ergonomic frames
and pantoscopic tilt, which give you better
eye protection and more area below the
oculars to see your working area as you bring
a tool into your magnified vision.
declination angles to support the safe neck
posture of less than a 20-degree head/neck
tilt. The advantage of straight FLM loupes
on either a frame or headband is that you
can incrementally change your declination
angle to gradually go from your current
posture to a more upright position.
After years of working in a bad posture,
your spine and body may not be able to go
from a hunched-over posture directly to
an upright ergonomic posture. If you are
a clinician that is operating on patients at
different heights, FLM loupes also give you
the ability to adjust the vertical direction to
align with your operating area. Combining
this feature with working distance caps,
you can also change the distance that is
in focus. With customisable FLM loupes,
you can have the most flexibility and
customisation.
Straight TTL loupes vs. Deflection TTL
loupes
The main advantage of TTL loupes for both
straight and deflection is that they don’t
need to be adjusted. And since the oculars
go through the lens, they sit closer to your
eyes to provide a wider field of view from a
keyhole effect. If you have the capability to
adjust your patients’ positioning to meet your
optimal working posture, then TTL loupes
are a great choice.
The biggest difference between Straight
TTL/FLM loupes and ErgoDeflection loupes
is your line of sight to your operating area.
Straight loupes give you a more natural
direct line of sight to your hands. With
your peripheral vision on the outside of the
oculars, you are able to see the surrounding
work area. With ErgoDeflection loupes, you
look straight up to see the magnified area,
and you look down below the oculars to see
the work area and its surroundings with the
naked eye. Deflection TTL loupes will require
users to have a longer learning time.
SCOPE STYLE/OPTICAL DESIGN OPTIONS
SurgiTel offers three main optical styles:
Galilean loupes, Compact Prism loupes, and
Deflection loupes.
Galilean loupes
Galilean loupes use a simple design which
helps keep the cost down. These loupes
Straight FLM Loupes
FLM loupes are available either mounted
to a frame or headband. FLM loupes and
most SurgiTel TTL loupes can deliver any
Comparison of neck angles with competitor TTL Loupes vs SurgiTel Ergonomic Loupe Types
50 DENTAL ASIA MARCH / APRIL 2023