Loupes hurting posture?

[oiuuiooiuuio]

A D1 here. Since I am sure everyone here has heard the loupe sales reps come and give the whole spiel that they are great for your posture, get you to sit up straight, and blah blah blah...
I have come to the realization after a couple months that the declination angle I was given is waaaaaaaaaaay too flat. After a couple hours working with them my upper back and lower neck are killing me. I think the actual telescopes are placed too high in the lens.

When I sit with good posture (or at least where my back doesn't feel like it is tightening up) and look down to my "ideal" working position, I look beneath the bottom of the frame.

Many of my classmates have bad posture even while wearing loupes.

Has anyone else had these problems? Do you feel your loupes really help you sit up straight to work? Do you feel you are jacking up your back because the declination angle is not enough?

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[Duriel]

I think my loupes help me out. If I don't sit up straight and try to lean in, things get fuzzy. So I am forced to stay within their working distance. I would contact the sales rep and tell them you need the loupes adjusted.

 

[goffdent]

I think my loupes help me out. If I don't sit up straight and try to lean in, things get fuzzy. So I am forced to stay within their working distance. I would contact the sales rep and tell them you need the loupes adjusted.

I agree... and some of the manufacturers will provide free adjustment within a certain time frame..

 

[mamelons]

I ran into the same problem when I got my loupes. I returned mine for a different pair, which worked out much better. I don't know if I just got lucky, or if they always do this, but I was able to return my loupes and just pay the difference, even though it was past the 45 day trial period or whatever it was. My advice, is to talk to your rep. Maybe you need to be re-measured, or maybe you need a different style. But talk to your rep and see what they can do to help you out. They should be willing to help out as much as possible-- if they do, they will have a customer for life, and the added benefit of future referrals for good customer service. P.S. I use Designs for Vision, and customer service is top-notch!

 

[Odontos2015]

I had the same problem, it was easily corrected by adjusting the nosepiece on my orascoptic titanium victory frames (they are smaller and the telescopes naturally sit higher). I have both the 2.5x set at a long working distance and 3.3x set at XL, both are at 30 degrees and provide me with excellent posture. Make sure your typodont is set up high enough. When you are working on a patient, you will have the bulk of the chair between your thighs (ideally parallel to the floor) and the patients head. If you have a titanium frame you will have to apply some force to spread the nosepiece, but if you try this and properly position your typodont that should correct the problem. If not, have your working distance or declination angle changed. Keep in mind that declination angle also depends on your facial geometry, you may need a steeper one. I'm 5'8" by the way and the L-XL working distances work perfectly for me.