Loupes – how do yours measure up?

Any kind of loupe or and light can be costly if they don’t do the job, give you bad posture, or are heavy or uncomfortable to wear. That’s where a bit more research will probably lead to the conclusion that professionally measured, custom-fitted loupes by an expert are worth their weight in titanium – delivering beautiful magnification that exactly suits the type of work you’re doing?

The fact is, a pair of well-measured, custom-fitted loupes with a light will not only allow you to see more they will enable you to sit comfortably at the correct distance from the patient without aches and pains. That’s why it’s essential to select loupes that are correctly measured for you, in your own surgery, by a trained and experienced consultant.

Made-to-measure

One of the key measurements for custom-made loupes is the working distance between the clinician’s eyes and the patient, together with the angle of declination – the angle at which the eyes look down towards the working area – steep enough to obtain a comfortable working position without the head being too far forward. Get any of these measurements wrong and the result can be excessive strain on the neck and hunching of the back. Getting these correct will minimise stress on the neck, back and shoulders, leading to a comfortable viewing position of the working area, which in turn aids the delivery of high quality clinical work.

As part of the consultation process many detailed measurements of your working position and face should be taken, along with discussion around the kind of work you are performing i.e. general dentistry or more specialist work, which might require a higher level of magnification. All this will help give the supplier the information they need to advise on the best loupes for you and allow you to work in a correct position.

Long-term investment

Loupes, just as any key piece of practice equipment, are a long-term investment. By purchasing high quality, correctly-measured loupes from an experienced supplier who has opticians in their team, this essential equipment will give many years of excellent service whilst significantly improving the working life of clinicians. This means that you can work in comfort, avoid strain on the back and shoulders and provide a higher quality of dentistry for your patients.

To find out how you can improve your posture with loupes click here and we’ll be in touch with our recommended solutions.

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