Dental ergonomic binocular loupe

[arron]

Hi guys, I am in the midst of a 2nd herniated cervical disc and therefore have decided to look into getting some kind of ergonomic loupe to do some general watch work and fountain pen restoration work.   I'm looking for something where I don't have to hunch over or bend my neck much and be able to work at arms length; this would not be for work that needs to be done up close. I do have other loops and microscopes but nothing that would allow me to keep my back upright and chin level. 

 

My dental hygienist wears a pair of angled ergonomic loops that she swears by. Hers of course are very expensive at over $1000. I'm wondering two things, do folks think this pair from Amazon would have  enough depth of field to do general watch work at arm's length and two, I wonder if anybody has first hand experience with this loop from Amazon--it's listed at 4x-450mm. Any thoughts appreciated. I did go back and review prior threads about Loupes generally but didn't see anything that talked about these newer style ergonomic loops.  thank you kindly.

 

PS. I do have an adonstar digital scope that could work except for the fact that I can't zoom out far enough to be able to see the entire movement which is what I'm after. I have one of those Barlow lenses on my optical scope and that allows me to zoom out quite a ways. If I could find a Barlow lens that fit would it have the same effect on a digital scope as it has on the regular optical scope?  I did pull the Barlow off the optical scope and just placed it under the lens of the digital and it did not help. But maybe there is some way to reduce the magnification on the digital scope to get a bigger view.

[HectorLooi]

I'm a retired dentist and I used a pair of surgical loupes for over 20 years.

Dental loupes are quite heavy and put additional strain on your neck and nose bridge. I changed my standard frames to a more ergonomic frame that has a strap that goes around the crown of the head and pulls the frames upwards to take pressure of the nose and prevent them from sliding down.

Dental loupes must be adjusted correctly, centering each eyepiece with the optical axis of each eye. The inter-pupillary distance must be correct to get the maximum field of view and the declination angle must be adjusted correctly to reduce strain on the neck.

Many dentist own loupes but do not use them, citing eyestrain and double imaging. It also took me a couple of years, with constant tweaking and modifications, before I could use my loupes for a full day's work.

I seldom use my loupes for watch repair work, instead I prefer a stereo microscope. I think a microscope puts less strain on the neck.

[arron]

Hi hector, I appreciate your insights as someone who has used loops for many years. My big concern is that they won't have the working distance that I am looking for. I agree normally with my microscope I am very happy. Unfortunately it's not working so well with my old neck. thanks for taking the time .

[HectorLooi]

1 hour ago, arron said:

Hi hector, I appreciate your insights as someone who has used loops for many years. My big concern is that they won't have the working distance that I am looking for. I agree normally with my microscope I am very happy. Unfortunately it's not working so well with my old neck. thanks for taking the time .

I see.

I too have cervical, thoracic and lumbar spondylosis from years of a bad working  posture.

Initially I also found it impossible work with the microscope until I learnt that by tilting the head of the microscope backwards until the eyepieces are at a more comfortable/manageable angle, that I am now able to work long hours using the microscope. It had been discussed elsewhere in this forum.

Dental loupes usually have a focal distance of between 12-16 inches, depending on your physical stature. But this focal can be changed by wearing different power glasses behind the loupes. If you want a shorter distance, wear + diopter lenses. And conversely if you want a longer distance.

[arron]

I'm looking at my scope and trying to imagine tilting the head backwards but I'm not seeing it. I'll do a search and see what I come up with. One thing that might be helpful for you or others is something I just found out a week or so ago after the pain started which is if you're on a windows computer you can press the windows key and the letter H and you can dictate by voice instead of typing. Most sitting and typing at this time is near impossible so this has been very helpful. And it's also very accurate. 

[HectorLooi]

1 hour ago, arron said:

I'm looking at my scope and trying to imagine tilting the head backwards but I'm not seeing it. I'll do a search and see what I come up with. One thing that might be helpful for you or others is something I just found out a week or so ago after the pain started which is if you're on a windows computer you can press the windows key and the letter H and you can dictate by voice instead of typing. Most sitting and typing at this time is near impossible so this has been very helpful. And it's also very accurate. 

To enable your microscope to tilt, you'll need a stand that has an adjustable hinge.

 

[Neverenoughwatches]

5 hours ago, arron said:

Hi hector, I appreciate your insights as someone who has used loops for many years. My big concern is that they won't have the working distance that I am looking for. I agree normally with my microscope I am very happy. Unfortunately it's not working so well with my old neck. thanks for taking the time .

I bought a pair a few years ago that clip onto glasses...they are quite heavy and I had to use a spectacles strap to keep them in place.  The working distance is the main reason I dont use them 450mm feels like I am too far away.

[HectorLooi]

3 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

I bought a pair a few years ago that clip onto glasses...they are quite heavy and I had to use a spectacles strap to keep them in place.  The working distance is the main reason I dont use them 450mm feels like I am too far away.

If you want to shorten the working distance, wear a pair of reading glasses under the loupes.

[Neverenoughwatches]

24 minutes ago, HectorLooi said:

If you want to shorten the working distance, wear a pair of reading glasses under the loupes.

Thanks for the tip Hector, i think I will have used my prescription reading glasses at the time. I could try some stronger +3 or +4 reading specs that might pull the working distance a bit closer in.

The ideal working distance for me seems to be around 300mm.