Loupes?

[sponch]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I'm looking at buying some loupes. Anyone have any recommendations? I like the Surgical Acuity loupes that flip up.

 

[Castro Viejo]

I dunno about those. I would think that with the flip up thing, there would be the potential for the arm to bend out of alignment and you'll have to have them adjusted periodically.

Why not just stick with the fixed loupes? I use the Designs for Vision 2.5x loupes. Pretty standard issue. They work great!

 

[labst]

Loupes are the biggest waste of money. Residents love to buy them because they make you look "surgical." Then they go into a specialty where they don't need them (i.e., anything except for CT or Vascular) and throw them away.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I agree....Designs for Vision (DFV) are fine for almost all needs. I don't see the point of the SA flip up loupes...first of all, unless you are going into Plastics or doing Microvascular work, you don't need the 3.5...they are extremely heavy. In addition, its quite easy to see above the regular loupes, so I don't see the need to pay extra for the flip-up ones.

Don't purchase loupes for yourself if your department isn't paying for them unless you are required to do so. We were required to have them (and the program paid) mostly for Peds but frankly, in general surgery you really only need them for NICU cases and Vascular, so I wouldn't get spending tons of dough on them.

DFV are the standard for a reason...they work, they're sturdy and they have reps all across the country.

 

[ESU_MD]

The designs for visions are the gold standard for loupes.

Get the traditional black frames- the funny wire or "oakley" frames are for losers and wannabes. If a resident came in wearing those or the flip ups, they would be ridiculed the entire case.

I wear my loupes alot- some of the older non-loupe attendings make fun of me on thyroids, until I see the nerve first.

 

[Winged Scapula]

The designs for visions are the gold standard for loupes.

Get the traditional black frames- the funny wire or "oakley" frames are for losers and wannabes. If a resident came in wearing those or the flip ups, they would be ridiculed the entire case.

Very true!

I wear my loupes alot- some of the older non-loupe attendings make fun of me on thyroids, until I see the nerve first.

I tend to wear them for most cases because its easier and less likely to fog up than the mask, even for cases I don't need them. Once you get to be an attending no one makes fun of you anymore ( at least not in front of you).

 

[scuba5794]

what kind of magnification are you looking for and also what price range are you in? if you are price sensitive i would not go with design for visions

 

[sponch]

thanks for all the input. guess i'll go with dfv buddy holly style loupes. i have about $1000 to blow on this. hope it's not much more.

 

[Winged Scapula]

thanks for all the input. guess i'll go with dfv buddy holly style loupes. i have about $1000 to blow on this. hope it's not much more.

They may be more than that if you don't have an institutional or bulk discount. There's a lot of finagling that goes on...but I thought they were about $850 when the department bought them, and around $1200 if individuals did.

My info is dated however (its been 7 years since mine were purchased), so would appreciate some newer info, if anyone has it.

"ooo wee ooo, I look just like Buddy Holly..."

 

[W06]

My DFV 3.5 Extended Field were around $1600 last year. (Program Paid)

 

[DoctorMunchkin]

My 2.5x were $850 about 2 years ago. $925 total with tax and all. We did them as a group, but I am pretty sure that if you identify yourself as a resident you get a discount. There was no bigger discount for ordering as a group.

 

[DrDawg]

DFV has resident rates available here, and may were your at as well. I had a ton of trouble getting in contact with our rep as an individual, and eventually got refitted while in NO for ACS, and had mine in two weeks. Anyway I think mine were about $850. I picked the kind that you get made fun of for. I felt they were more comfortable, and lighter.

 

[Winged Scapula]

DFV has resident rates available here, and may were your at as well. I had a ton of trouble getting in contact with our rep as an individual, and eventually got refitted while in NO for ACS, and had mine in two weeks. Anyway I think mine were about $850. I picked the kind that you get made fun of for. I felt they were more comfortable, and lighter.

These?
View attachment Nike3w2.jpg

Just SEE/DO it! Love the little Nike swoosh on them

 

[DrDawg]

These?
View attachment 9500

Just SEE/DO it! Love the little Nike swoosh on them

Yup! The laughing distracts the attending while I back hand my throw through the aorta.

And we'll just hold a little pressure...

 

[XoQo]

anyone have thoughts on standard vs extended field loupes?

I presume there is additional cost for the extended. And since the DFW extended start at 3.5X there would be additional weight compared with the Standard Field 2.5X as well...

Does this outweigh the benefits of the "extended field" for a general surgery resident? Is there a benefit?


thanks all

 

[Winged Scapula]

anyone have thoughts on standard vs extended field loupes?

I presume there is additional cost for the extended. And since the DFW extended start at 3.5X there would be additional weight compared with the Standard Field 2.5X as well...

Does this outweigh the benefits of the "extended field" for a general surgery resident? Is there a benefit?


thanks all

A GS resident does not need 3.5 X or extended field loupes unless he/she is planning on PRS, hand or microvascular training.

They are not necessary, they cost more, they weigh more and your neck hurts more.

 

[Blade28]

Why not just stick with the fixed loupes? I use the Designs for Vision 2.5x loupes. Pretty standard issue. They work great!

I use those as well. Gold standard.

 

[markhar]

I didn't know there was a gold standard for loupes. What's the sensitivity/specificity? 😎 (Notice how my loupes are blacked out so I cannot see? That's how we train as Jedi.)

 

[markhar]

Did I mention I have the ME on speed-dial? FTW!

 

[Celiac Plexus]

disclaimer: i own the dfv 2.5 mag, and feel that they meet all of my needs as a general surgery resident.

however.... i have borrowed a colleague's surgical accuity 2.5 mag loupes on occasion and i like them a lot. they are lighter than dfv, and the accuity is equivalent to dfv.

some of my colleagues have the new nike type dfv frames, and i think they look pretty cool. they are also lighter and imho more comfortable than the traditional black 1950s era loupes.

i chose the original dfv design not because i thought that they were necessarily better than any of the others, but because i knew essentially nothing about loupes when i bought them. my rationale for going with dfv, was that if the prs guys, the vascular guys, and peds guys all used them then they wouuld be good enough for me. and they are. but if i had it to do over, i might go for the nike models.

i agree that extended field, or greater than 2.5 mag is unnecessary for general surgery residency. the only attendings in my program who use greater than 2.5 mag are the prs guys, and on occasion one of our vascular guys pulls out the 3.5ef mag.

 

[surg]

There is just no substitute for trying them on. When I bought my loupes, I arranged for all of the (at the time) 3 major companies' reps to all come to the lounge at the same time by getting my entire intern class (including the ortho/plastics/ENT/urology folks) to come as well. I asked each rep to quote their best price that had to be good for at least a week after they came, regardless of how many they sold. I think the reps between them sold about 20+ pairs that one night. Probably about 70% chose the Surgical Acuity 2.5 TTL's (including myself). Comments that people made were that the visual field seemed almost as large as the extended field DFV's and they were lighter than the standard issue DFVs (no nike DFVs yet at that time). People who chose the DFVs seemed to think that the magnification was slightly greater than the surgical acuity and liked the idea that it was what everyone else older than them had.

We got a substantial discount for setting up the group purchase (and got free pizza from the reps too). Ultimately though, it was the ability to try one on, then go to the next rep and try theirs on, then go back and try the 1st one on again that was the best part of the evening though. We got a great turnout, even senior residents that were updating loupes and attending that wanted to update loupes came out to try stuff on.

Highly recommend this approach.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Excellent idea surg.

 

[sponch]

dfv, sa... and what was the third vendor? i like your idea.. making them compete.

 

[scuba5794]

i have recommended loupes from Universal Medical Inc in the past you can check it in the mentor thread http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=436485
just another vendor you can try they have the lowest prices that I have seen anywhere this way you don't have to drop 1k on them good luck!

 

[Fah-Q]

I wear my loupes alot- some of the older non-loupe attendings make fun of me on thyroids, until I see the nerve first.

If you need loupes to see the nerve, then it's not the nerve.

 

[surg]

The 3rd vendor we had was surgitel. At the time they were the primary purveyor of flip-downs. They also showed up with a prototype TTL (This was about 10 years ago) which wasn't bad, but wasn't ready for sale yet. Prices were better than the other 2, but after trying on the TTLs, I think only ~2 people bought flip downs.

(And BTW, as some who has endocrine as ~1/2 my practice now, I now use my loupes whenever I have them on necks because I'm faster with them than without them. Did them about 50/50 with/without in residency depending on the attending's preference)

 

[eclcell]

One of my attendings just got the DFV oakley types. I think their biggest advantage is the better eye protection. They seem to cover the eyes pretty well. One of the eye shields broke of my surgical acuity loupes and they wanted like $19 to replace that little piece of plastic. I refused. The surgical acuity loupes do come in a pretty cool aluminum box.🙂

 

[sponch]

i tried the DFV buddy holly loupes today. they're heavy as hell. and that's just the 2.5.

 

[Winged Scapula]

i tried the DFV buddy holly loupes today. they're heavy as hell. and that's just the 2.5.

You get used to them, but at the expense of some early headaches and neck pain. And like you said, that's just the 2.5, the 3.5 are worse. Add a head lamp and it can be pretty miserable.

 

[Blade28]

i tried the DFV buddy holly loupes today. they're heavy as hell. and that's just the 2.5.

You'll get used to them.