Conclusion
peripheral vision, angulation, HT
BENDING
Compared to traditional loupes, this study shows that both evaluated prismatic loupes can significantly reduce neck muscle activity and forward head bending in surgical tasks, with no significant difference in surgical errors. Nevertheless, using the HT prismatic loupes prolonged the task completion times, but this was only after a short training period. LT loupes were preferred by a majority of the surgeons in this study. The significant results from this study are in favor of the usage of prismatic loupes in reducing the surgeon’s workload. Future studies are needed to investigate the extent to which prismatic loupes may decrease physical workloads and reduce musculoskeletal discomfort among surgeons in the operating room and over the long term. In addition, the design of prismatic surgical loupes should consider multiple factors, including not only the prism angulation but also factors such as magnification, peripheral vision, and comfort to suit surgeons’ needs for different types of surgeries.