# Help for my aging eyes.



## ScrapMetal (Dec 18, 2013)

I was lurking around on e-bay last night and came across a little gadget used in dentistry.  I've seen my own dentist use a similar (surely of better quality) setup so I'm pretty sure that the concept is solid.




I'm sure the guys that work with miniatures and such are already aware of these.  Just search e-bay with "dental surgical binocular" and all kinds of listings should show up.  All the ones from Chinese sources are about the same price.  I ordered a set and will let you guys know what I think of them when they show up.

-Ron


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## genec (Dec 18, 2013)

do they have a fixed distance and power


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## ScrapMetal (Dec 18, 2013)

genec said:


> do they have a fixed distance and power



Here's the information off the listing that I bought from:



> *Features:*
> 
> 
> 
> ...



-Ron


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## arlo (Dec 18, 2013)

Very interesting. I will appreciate your review.  I'd especially like to know if they're compatible with bifocals.


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## ScrapMetal (Dec 19, 2013)

arlo said:


> Very interesting. I will appreciate your review.  I'd especially like to know if they're compatible with bifocals.




No problem.  Last time I ordered something from China it took a couple of weeks or so to get here but when they arrive I'll post it.

-Ron


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## ranch23 (Dec 27, 2013)

Does it have x-ray vision?


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## arlo (Jan 4, 2014)

I got impatient and ordered a pair of the dental loupes without waiting for your review.  The ones I got are a little different than the ones in your image.  I bought mine from jinlan226 on eBay for $36. 

 jinlan226's eBay ad in one place says they include a headlamp.  They do not.  The ad also says that they are 2.5X and 3.5X.  They have a single magnification and are marked 3.5X. I haven't measured it myself. The loupes I got are permanently attached to glasses with hard plastic lenses.  I do not see a simple way to attach the loupes to my bifocals.  I can get a clear focus at about 16" from the object I'm viewing and the focus is pretty good for +/- 3 inches or so. The maginifaction is very good for my application.

 The loupes are adjustable so that the lenses can be positioned for binocular view.  I was only able to get a good binocular view by holding each loupe in my hands and twisting them to get them to align.  I could not maintain this alignment without holding the loupes.  If the alignemnt isn't very good, it results in double vision.  

I've only been using them for about an hour but by using only one eye I can see well enough to solder small electronic components.  If I had bigger forearms and a corn cob pipe, I would look like Popeye.

Besides the optical loupes, this item included a small, padded carrying case, eye shields, a cleaning cloth, a small Phillips and a plastic handle for flipping the loupes up to allow direct vision.  Since I require bifocals to see much of anything, I don't see me flipping them up. Maybe it will be possible to permanently fix the loupes in a position that allows binocular vision.  They do include a neck strap so for now I think I'll use it and keep my bifocals handy.

For the last couple of years, my soldering process has been to set up my components/wires using my glasses, check with a magnifying glass, solder while wearing my glasses and then check with the magnifying glass.  It takes as much time to read as it does to perform BUT I have to do too much resoldering.  With the loupes, I think I'll have less resoldering.  I'll need to use them for a while to really access their value.  If they had an X-ray vision option, I'd recommend them enthusiastically.  As it is, I think I'll just say that they have potential.


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## fretsman (Jan 5, 2014)

Arlo, can you send a direct link to the ones you purchased? 

I found the seller and their products, but I did not find the cheaper ones that say they do come with the light.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odk...46732.m570.l1313&_nkw=3.5X&_sacat=0&_from=R40

Thanks!
Dave


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## george wilson (Jan 5, 2014)

I use 4X DRUGSTORE glasses and do just fine. If your eyes have about the same value,they will wry just fine for you. I tried a pair of those "dental magnifiers". They focus way out there,and I felt like my hands were not connected to my brain!! Too heavy too,needless to say. I sent them back.

There's only 1 drug store around here that sells 4X reading glasses,but no doubt you could find them online.

If you have seen my work in the Moderators at work section,you will see that I do some very small work. I urge you to try the 4X reading glasses. They are more powerful than those dental glasses you posted,too. And a LOT cheaper!! To heck with the light. Just put a good lamp over your work. Halogen works very well. I really like the clear,sparkly light it gives.


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## arlo (Jan 5, 2014)

fretsman said:


> Arlo, can you send a direct link to the ones you purchased?
> 
> I found the seller and their products, but I did not find the cheaper ones that say they do come with the light.
> 
> ...



The direct link is http://www.ebay.com/itm/Newest-Dent...927?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d47561f1f

The ones I bought do not come with a light even though one place in the eBay ad says a headlight is included.  My workbench is very well lit and I think I'm better off without the attached light with its added weight.  The loupes have some heft themselves.  As George mentions, an advantage of the magnifying glasses is the reduced weight.


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## fretsman (Jan 5, 2014)

It sure does, did you let them know?

Even if you're not going to use it, they should know and at least help you out with a small refund, or they could send you the light and you could use it for something else.

Dave


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## ScrapMetal (Jan 6, 2014)

I became interested in these in an effort to get a longer focal length than my 3x "readers".  I have found myself in need of getting a better view of the piece I'm working on but not wanting, or not able, to get my face within a few inches of the end mill (especially when cutting up to a line - DRO not hooked up yet), likewise when turning on the lathe, or even taking measurements in awkward spots.  I don't know if these will solve these issues for me but they looked worth a try.

-Ron


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## arlo (Jan 6, 2014)

fretsman said:


> It sure does, did you let them know?
> 
> Even if you're not going to use it, they should know and at least help you out with a small refund, or they could send you the light and you could use it for something else.
> 
> Dave



Based on the picture and the other descriptions, I knew what to expect.  I did let them know about the inconsistency via eBay's feedback.


I'd still like to hear your review, Ron.


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## ScrapMetal (Jan 16, 2014)

It took three and a half weeks to get here.  I'm not complaining.  The shipping was very reasonable, especially when you figure it came from the opposite side of the world. 

Here is what it looks like (in and out) of the box:







As expected, I received the whole shebang.  Optics, LED light, battery pack, and charger.  It also comes with a couple of extra "clips" that I'm not real sure how they are used, a cloth to wipe the lenses, and a small screw driver to adjust the tension on the binocular mount.

I charged up the pack and tested out the light.  I was surprised just how much light, concentrated on an area 4" in diameter at the focal length of the binocs.  The ON/OFF control for the light also functions as a dimmer so it can be set to whatever is appropriate at the time.  The light is on a 6' cord so the battery pack could be placed in any shirt or pants pocket.  Looks like a winner so far.

The glasses themselves are the same quality as the plastic sunglasses/reading glasses that you can pick up anywhere but they do have a comfortable, large rubber nose piece.   I figure that the nose piece is a "must" in order so that the added weight from the binocs/spot light doesn't tear up the bridge of your nose.  I was expecting this quality level, considering the price, so I don't consider that a drawback.  I do need to point out though that there is an inherent drawback to these glasses and that is they are NOT safety glasses or safety rated in any way as they were never intended to stop more than tooth swarf and spittle.   A little more on this point later.

The mounting bracket and tubes for the optics are plastic as well but it appears that the lenses are glass.  The is a knob on the top to change the width to match your eyes.  It took me a minute or two of fooling around with it to get them set properly (it went much faster after I took the lense caps off ).  Once adjusted I found that the optics are fairly good.  The focal length is roughly 14" or so and the image is well magnified.  I'm pretty sure the 3.5x is accurate.  As I stated before, this extended focal length is what I was looking for.  I too often find myself leaning over the mill with my head cocked to try and see how close I'm getting to the scribed line as I'm turning the crank or have my hand on the power feed.  I'm expecting these to allow me to keep my face another 8" or so away from the action.  I expect they will also have applications where I'm am doing setups on both the lathe and mill.  Time will tell.

I haven't had a chance to use them yet but at this point I'm pretty happy with my purchase especially given the price that I paid.  Here is the original listing that I bought from on ebay: Black Dental Surgical Binocular Loupes  The only difference that I see from the picture is that there are no knurled knobs on the tops of each loupe.  The do pivot slightly on the back screw instead.  If you look on ebay these things are listed all over the place, in different colors, different packages, etc. so while I am happy with the one I selected I'm sure there are many others that are just as good.  I'm pretty sure they all come from the same factory.

Now, as to them not being safety rated.  Once I see how well they work in my routines I'll consider a couple of options.  Either trying to find some certified lenses that will fit, or can be modified to fit, in the frames (unlikely but hey, it's worth a try) or to see if the binocs can be mounted to a pair of normal safety glasses.  I don't think it would be too difficult to make a small adapter for them.  Another "mod" that I will consider is to "reverse engineer" the whole binoc assembly (less the lenses) and make it out of aluminum.  Again, seems like it would be relatively simple to fabricate although the list of projects I need to get done first is so long it will be a while before that is even considered.

If you have any questions just let me know.  I'll post more about my impressions of using them once I'm in the shop and getting them dirty.

-Ron


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## george wilson (Jan 17, 2014)

I do not find that my 4X reading glasses get me unduly close to my lathe. I don't usually wear them at the milling machine. My regular glasses have 2 3/4 magnification. But,as mentioned,I have implanted lenses in my eyes which I fully recommend. Medicare will pay for the single focus ones. New lenses do not take care of everything that can add to bad vision,but they sure help with getting rid of cataracts. And,you don't even know the operation is being performed,I promise!! I was nervous about it,but I was "consciously sedated" and when the doctor said "we're done",I was very surprised.


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## arlo (Jan 19, 2014)

The lenses on my glasses are polycarbonate.  Maybe if yours are glass, the whole assembly is more rigid.  Do they provide reliable binocular vision?

The plastic clip in the middle front of your first picture looks similar to the piece used in mine to flip up the loupes.  Mine mounts around the adjustment screw on the loupe crossbar.


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## Vavet (Jan 20, 2014)

I've found reader type safety glasses. I ordered mine from McMaster-Carr, but a quick google search shows many more suppliers, including Amazon. My work environment and requirements had me switching between safety and regular reading glasses or compromising on one or the other, but now I don't have to. They're great...and it provides me with a backup when I'm at my desk and can't find my regular reading glasses. 

http://www.mcmaster.com/#safety-glasses-magnifiers/=qc2kb9


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## ScrapMetal (Jan 20, 2014)

arlo said:


> The lenses on my glasses are polycarbonate.  Maybe if yours are glass, the whole assembly is more rigid.  Do they provide reliable binocular vision?
> 
> The plastic clip in the middle front of your first picture looks similar to the piece used in mine to flip up the loupes.  Mine mounts around the adjustment screw on the loupe crossbar.



I can't say for certain that the binocular lenses are glass but when I tap them with the tip of a screwdriver I hear a "tink" instead of a "clunk".  If polymer they are certainly "optical grade" as I ge excellent image quality through them.  I would expect the major details of mine to be the same as yours but here are some close-ups of the mount and nose piece:












Vavet said:


> I've found reader type safety glasses. I ordered mine from McMaster-Carr, but a quick google search shows many more suppliers, including Amazon. My work environment and requirements had me switching between safety and regular reading glasses or compromising on one or the other, but now I don't have to. They're great...and it provides me with a backup when I'm at my desk and can't find my regular reading glasses.
> 
> http://www.mcmaster.com/#safety-glasses-magnifiers/=qc2kb9



I too have bifocal safety glasses (3M brand I believe) but as I've mentioned before, the focal length (for me anyway) is a bit too short for comfort.  When I do manual milling without DRO (no, I haven't found the time to install mine yet ) I have to get my face way too close to the action as I'm approaching my scribed lines.  Thinking about it, I could mount a large magnifier to the mill, drill press, lathe, etc. but these seemed like a cheaper, more portable solution to try first.

-Ron


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## entityunknown (Jan 17, 2017)

Old topic but I just bought some Dental Loupes on Amazon myself and I'm very pleased with the long focal length. I got the ones with the flip up/down and it's perfect with an exceptionally powerful bright LED light. Sure beats Jeweler Loupes and you can look at things close without catching your head in the spindle. Seriously worth it


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## ranch23 (Jan 17, 2017)

I find myself wearing cheaters and an Optivisor. Unhandy to say the least.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## kvt (Jan 18, 2017)

entityunknown said:


> Old topic but I just bought some Dental Loupes on Amazon myself and I'm very pleased with the long focal length. I got the ones with the flip up/down and it's perfect with an exceptionally powerful bright LED light.


can you put out which ones you got.   I want to take a look at some of them.    Thanks


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## entityunknown (Jan 30, 2017)

Yeah I picked these up off Amazon. Below are the description and link for the setup.  $53, can't complain and I've used them for several operations, mostly setups which go a lot better since I am getting closer especially if using a measuring tool along with the loupes. The key thing is I'm not right up on the part which usually is your loupes in the spindle. Even if you've got perfect eyes, there's a reason dentist use these effectively from a safe distance.

*Aries Outlets 3.5x 420mm Working Distance Surgical Binocular Loupes Optical Glass with LED Head Light Lamp+Aluminum Box Black*
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I1IUNI6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## kvt (Jan 31, 2017)

Roger my problem is I need to find a set of the loops and light like that which I can clip or mount on a pair of my glasses.


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## entityunknown (Jan 31, 2017)

Well most dental loupes are technically safety glasses so as long as you can get your glasses behind a standard set of safety glasses, I'd imagine you'll be fine. I'm not sure on your rx but I'm a 1 and 1.5 and I can see the magnified detail exceptionally well, even better than if I got up close to it with my normal eyes. Really any lens as long as it's focused for you and anyone else will give you better clarity than your own, natural eyes, whether they're good or bad. What changes things for Dental Loupes vs. Jeweler Loupes is the focal distance. That's really all that's special.


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