jonnytight said:
Hey all,
Ok I know that there must be a zillion posts before regarding loupes...but I wanted to get an opinion from anyone regarding loupes.
I am a D1 and going to start restorative in the summer...I want to buy loupes, Im not on a military scholarship...so cost is also a factor.
I want then to be comfortable, versatile, and all around great loupes.....
I want to know what magnification to get (heard to start 2.5x is good enough)?
What brand would you get and why? Why that over the other brands?
Also has anyone heard of the company "Sandy Grendel"?
Any recommendations would be great, thanks.
Loupes, where to begin. No you don't need them in Dental School, and as a matter of fact, many, many docs will tell you not to use them at an early stage, and I've even heard a few anectdotal references that loupes prior to age 40 or so will lead to weaker overall eyesight at an earlier age
😱
Secondly, while price is a factor, sometimes you get what you pay for. In dental school, I bought a pair of Heine 2.5x flip down loupes(the least expensive model I could find), and used them maybe for a month or 2, reason being, they were so front heavy that I felt like I was going to fall over into the patient's mouth, and I actually had more neck strain from trying to keep my head up than from not using the best posture as I sometime did without loupes. Also, never, never buy a pair without trying them, and a few other on. Reps will come to you, especially in dental school, since they know that in 1 location they can probably sell a few pairs, so they want to see you. Definately get fitted, since everyones intra-pupillary distance and working distances very greatly, also one of the biggest factors is "depth of focus" (i.e. over how many inches will things stay in focus, meaning if you tilt your head forward or backwards an inch or two - or upto 6 - will your image stay in focus). Also if your going to get your 1st pair, you don't need more than 2.5x, or else your field of vision will be so limited that it makes it tough to work and learn in school.
Myself, currently I use as my "everyday" loupes a pair of orascoptic 2.5x through the lense. I also didn't get these until I had been in private practice for 3 years, and basically didn't use Loupes for a span of almost 6 years after my pour experience with my "cheap" dental school loupes purchase. Just 10 days ago, while at The Yankee Dental Conference meeting in Boston, after walking around to trying on Loupes from Designs For Vision, Orascoptic, Surgitel, Zeiss, Heine, and a couple of others that I'm forgetting, I ordered a pair of Surgitel 3.5X through the lense to use for endo, as I'm finding that MB2 canals are easier to find under maginification. I tried on the 4.5X loupes also, but I was finding that the field of vision was getting so restrictive that I could see myself loosing so anatomical perspective while using them.
Now though in my office, my partner and I have the big decision/debate going on with our HYGENISTS about getting them some magnification too, since their mid 30ish (or um I mean early 20ish as their looking over my shoulder reading this
😀 ) eyes are interesting in getting some
