Is Today Friday the 13th?

Inadvertently Dropping Your Loupes Can Result in a Disastrous Day!

George Grayson, BSc MSc DDS FAGD

Dr. Grayson has been practicing dentistry for over 40 years. He is a fellow in The Pierre Fauchard Academy, The Academy of Dentistry International, The International Congress of Oral Implantologists, and the Academy of General Dentistry.

Even though we take extreme care of our loupes, an accident can happen. The fracture of your lens, whether it be the supportive lens, i.e. the bifocal, or the lens in the loupe tube, it is a disaster. It became immediately evident the importance of having a backup. My 8.0x loupes fell off my desk and fractured the right-side eyeglass. They were finished and needed refurbishing. It was Friday at 8:00 a.m. and I had to go to my backup which is a 6.5x lens. It is a slightly different working distance, shorter by about 1-2 inches (2.5-5cm), and this results in an awkward repositioning of myself.

How one assesses the situation under duress and accommodates a slightly different working position and movements is subtle, but evident. You are sitting in a slightly closer position, requiring your total physical structure to adjust. You had increased your magnification (8.0x now lost) to allow a better delivery of service and you want to maintain that quality even though you have a slightly different magnification. You still require your body to be stationary and precise. SurgiTel can help with corrective lens adapters for working distance. There is still a slight learning curve to accommodate your new (yet old) loupes (6.5x). You are the optic dependent!

While all this is going on, your patient is aware of your anxiety as it is a new working distance. Your handling of tools and handpieces requires that you reorient slightly as you have been repositioned. It may be more difficult at first, but you will accommodate after a while.

The most important lesson is to have backup equipment exactly or very similar to what you have, so you don’t waste a few days frustrated with not being able to deliver your customary dental or medical artistry. In addition, a backup headlight and batteries ensure continual delivery of the best dental care possible. Call SurgiTel, they can help you!