The optical experts at SurgiTel in Ann Arbor, Michigan -- a leading manufacturer of clinical magnification and illumination systems -- have developed innovative solutions to a silent yet pernicious career threat: back, neck, and eyestrain caused by poor lighting and posture.

"A long-standing myth holds that chronic neck and back discomfort is a necessary evil associated with the practice of dentistry or surgery," SurgiTel president B. J. Chang, Ph.D. said in a recent paper in the Journal of the California Dental Association (1). "The use of proper surgical telescopes and coaxial illumination headlights has been demonstrated to prevent, or in some cases, eliminate a clinician's chronic neck and back pain."

Dr. Chang and SurgiTel have pioneered subtle and unique innovations based on the ergonomics of clinical vision. SurgiTel's ErgoVision™ Systems embody insights gleaned from 10 years of clinician interviews and studies.

SurgiTel's Through-the-Lens (TTL) and Front-Lens-Mounted (FLM) telescopes provide a wider range of declination angles than conventional units, eliminating the excessive head tilt that strains the upper back and neck. Ultra-lightweight construction and patented double nose pads provide unparalleled comfort. Images focus sharply and brilliantly with laser-aligned precision optics and shadow-free coaxial lights.

"Coaxial illumination means the light line is parallel to the sight line," Dr. Chang explained. It provides clinicians with "shadow-free images and significantly improves working posture." It also eliminates the need to adjust---and touch---overhead lights, significantly reducing the chance for cross-contamination between patients.

"In addition to very light titanium frames, the adjustable angle of SurgiTel's loupes allows me to stand naturally upright," Lehigh Valley Hospital thoracic surgery chief Raymond Singer. M.D. explained. Chronic neck and upper back pain drove Singer, who routinely performs two open-heart operations daily, to muscle relaxants and chiropractors. "At age 40, I thought my career as a cardio-thoracic surgeon was over," he said. "SurgiTel loupes have saved my career."

Chang advises clinicians who want to avoid similar problems to zero in on five criteria when selecting lens and lighting systems: posture, magnification, field of view, field depth, and optical alignment. SurgiTel addresses these criteria through simple, patented innovations that stress balance and customization.

SurgiTel's TTL telescopes provide adjustable field depth: the distance within which objects remain in sharp focus. 2x to 5x lenses magnify the widest range of procedures. "The SurgiTel magnifying lenses have been superb, providing excellent optics, wide visual fields, and a surprisingly deep depth of field, thus obviating constant head movement for focusing," said plastic surgeon Paul Collins, M.D., in practice in San Luis Obispo, Calif. "They have been utilized during lengthy surgical procedures without eye fatigue or strain."

SurgiTel aligns the two lenses with precision lasers, eliminating a major cause of eyestrain and double images. Customized SurgiTel instruments also balance the need for a large enough field of view with adequate peripheral vision, so the clinician has no detrimental blind spots.

Finally, SurgiTel instruments balance light to reduce glare and increase clarity. "To achieve the best visual comfort," Chang said, "one should maintain an optimum target-to-background brightness ratio," where the target is the work site and the background is the surrounding area.

Laser filters also enhance SurgiTel's halogen and fiber optic lights for contrast and glare reduction that brings out minute anatomical features in stunning detail. SurgiTel's image enhancement filter "allows me to do sclerotherapy much more easily than ever before," said Lewis Stolman, M.D., a dermatologist based in Livingston, NJ. "Small veins, previously difficult to see, stand out in striking fashion."

Clinicians who purchase SurgiTel products should be warned, however: smart thieves have singled them out. "As I was going to operate, I discovered that my SurgiTel loops were
stolen -- missing from the cabinet where all the doctors leave their surgical loops," cardiac surgeon Zvi Zisbrod, M.D., reported from Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Chang innovated around that problem as well: SurgiTel constructed a new pair for Dr. Zisbrod at a greatly reduced price.

For more information concerning SurgiTel's ErgoVision Systems, laser filters, or illumination tools, please call General Scientific Corporation at 1-800-959-0153; e-mail to gsc@surgitel.com; contact a General Scientific representative at AATS, booth #______; or visit the product Web site at www.surgitel.com.

Reference:
1. Chang, B. J. J. Calif. Dent. Assoc. 2002;30(2):161--69.