SurgiTel Loupes and Headlights Have Made My Teachings Successful

Avery Bennett, DVM

My first experience with SurgiTel/General Scientific Corporation (GSC) was nearly 20 years ago. I had been teaching avian surgery using pigeons for a number of years. There were two big problems that were difficult to overcome as a teacher. One was magnification. We had been using hobby loupes or nothing. The participants had a lot of difficulties using hobby loupes and, generally, they ended up on the table next to the patient, not being used. The other problem was a focal light source. Inside a pigeon’s abdomen is very dark and we had tried things like penlights, desk lamps, flashlights, etc. All were both inadequate regarding the lighting and the lights were hot and desiccated the tissues.

Dr. Jin Chang generously began to support my labs by supplying SurgiTel loupes. That made a huge difference for all involved. GSC has supplied loupes for at least one lab, and often several labs, each year for almost 20 years.

Not only are the lenses of excellent quality so the ability to visualize tissues, small organs, blood vessels, etc. in small patients such as birds, reptiles, rabbits, ferrets, and rodents but they encourage, or maybe I should say, requires an appropriate posture. I have learned a lot about ergonomics since meeting Dr. Chang and have come to realize how important this is for all surgeons, but especially for surgeons working on tiny patients, which is my expertise. My practice is not limited to small exotics and I use my loupes almost every day when I perform such intricate procedures such as perineal urethrostomy, cleft palate repairs, ureterotomy for stone removal, hemilaminectomies for removing slipped intervertebral discs, and many many more.

Recently I was asked to teach a lab for the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians on surgery in iguanas and I was also asked to teach a lab on surgery of rabbit heads (dental and ear surgery). GSC once again supplied SurgiTel loupes and advanced LED micro-LED headlights for participants. I would have been lost without them and so would the participants. As usual, many participants commented to me on how much different it was doing surgery with the loupes and with a proper posture (ergonomic). One participant told me he had bought a different brand of loupes. He said they were inexpensive and he commented on the difference between what he had bought and the SurgiTel. He said he knew he had bought cheap and thought maybe they would be like a Chevrolet compared to a Cadillac. But he said in reality, SurgiTel was like a Porche and what he has are like a Suzuki! Not all loupes are the same!

The trend these days is for surgeons to use headlamps rather than overhead lights. The illumination is superior and the light is directed where the surgeon is looking. Overhead lights are a constant hassle having to move them trying to direct them where the light is needed. The LED light with the SurgiTel loupes provides excellent illumination into the body cavity of small patients such as the pigeons we use in the labs. It provides a balanced color spectrum that helps the surgeon see different tissues in an appropriate light. No more poor lighting and desiccated tissues!

I cannot express in words what Dr. Chang and GSC have done to improve the quality of my teaching and the experience for lab participants. Every lab I get the highest rating and I know a lot of that is because of the quality of the loupes and headlights provided by GSC.