What is the
difference between the Pro Fiber-optic
LED Otoscope
and a traditional otoscope that uses a halogen bulb?
The
patent pending
design of the Pro Fiber-optic
LED Otoscope
is the first professional Fiber-optic
otoscope to
ever make use of a LED light source. The biggest
advantage of an LED light source over all the other
otoscopes on the market which use halogen
(incandescent) light sources is that the LED bulb
contains no fragile filament that can be easily
damaged and or burn out over time. The LED light
source lasts essentially forever and will not be
damaged by rough handling, dropping, or sudden
movement. The LED light source is also much brighter
and consists of full spectrum light instead of the
yellowish light found in all incandescent light
sources.
What color is the light from the LED otoscope?
The
LED emits a full
spectrum light.
This appears as a white light with a slight bluish
tint. Full spectrum light is the the same spectrum
of light that is emitted by sunshine.
Full spectrum light will give you the most true
appearance of an object viewed under it. There is a
very good explanation about the advantages of full
spectrum light on the
OTT-LITE®
website at
http://www.ott-lite.com/cms/vsp.aspx#printcompare1
The OTT-LITE® was specifically developed for
hobbyist who needed full spectrum light similar to
sunshine to get the most accurate and truest color
from the objects they were working with.
Pro Fiber-optic
LED Otoscopes
with full spectrum led light sources will give you a
truer color representation of the eardrum and ear
canal structures than any other otoscope on the
market today.
Side
Note: If you are a medical professional then you
have spent your entire career using an otoscope with
an incandescent light source. The light from our LED
otoscope is full spectrum and slightly different in
color than your usual otoscope. Our full spectrum
light color is very similar to the light color from
the OTT light pictured above on the left. The full
spectrum light will be much less yellow and appear
white with a slight bluish tint. This lack of yellow
color in the light will make the eardrum appear
slightly different than what you have grown
accustomed. What you will see with our otoscope is
actually the true tissue color of the eardrum as it
would appear if you could place natural sunshine
into the ear canal and view the eardrum with
magnification.
How does the brightness of the LED
light compare to the light from the professional
type halogen otoscopes?
Our
LED otoscope is brighter when measured with a
photometer than a similar halogen type Fiber-optic
otoscope, yet it burns cool and uses 1:50th the
amount of power.
How long will
the LED light last before it will need replacing?
The
LED light source is warranted by us for life. If you
left the LED light source turned on and running
continuously it would burn for 25 years before it
would need replacing. It would also maintain its
same brightness during these 25 years of continuous
use before it finally died and went black. The light
from a Halogen otoscope begins degrading first time
you use it. Many professionals recommend changing to
a new bulb after every 20 hours of use because of
this. See link that follows.
http://www.fpnotebook.com/ENT47.htm
Will rough handling
or dropping of the LED light cause it to burn out
prematurely?
The LED
light source does not contain a fragile filament as
does all the incandescent light sources found on
all other otoscopes on the market today. One of the
greatest advantages of having an LED light source is
that the LED bulb is almost indestructible when it
comes to dropping the otoscope or handling it
roughly in any way. This is not the case with all
other otoscopes on the market because they all use
incandescent bulbs. Incandescent bulbs contain a
fragile filament that burns hot. These bulbs are
easily damaged with any rough handling or sudden
movements. These bulbs also need routine replacement
over time similar to the bulb in your table lamp at
home which is also an incandescent bulb. The bulbs
are also very expensive to replace, costing $25-$30
for the most common brand of otoscopes found in the
US today.
What is the
magnification of the otoscope lens?
Our
otoscope lens uses between a 3x- 4x magnification.
We use the same magnification and focal length as
the standard Welch Allyn®
otoscope. We actually used their lens as our
prototype when developing our otoscope. We figured
they have been around for over 100 years and are the
leading manufacturer of otoscopes in the world today
and would be our best guide to what the optimum
magnification and focal length should be. Our lens
is built from scratch resistant optical quality
glass. The W/A
lens is made from
acrylic plastic.
Is higher
magnification always better?
Bigger
is not always better when it comes to looking in the
ear at the eardrum. The key to finding the proper
magnification is to deliver enough magnification
that you are able to get a clear picture of the
eardrum as a whole yet at the same time magnify it
enough to see the details that are important when
doing your exam. If you over magnify you can see
very clear details of a small area but you are
unable to get a clear picture of the entire eardrum.
Again, we allowed Welch Allyn®
to decide what is the optimum magnification and
focal length to use and then had our lens
manufacturer use these same values when creating our
lens.
What type batteries
does the Pro LED Fiber-optic
Otoscope use, and will
re-chargeable's also work?
2
Readily available standard C cell batteries.
Rechargeable C
cell batteries also work well with our otoscope. If
you purchase 2 sets of rechargeable batteries then
you will never be without the use of your otoscope.
The same can not be said for the W/A
brand. You have to unscrew the handle and stick it
in an electric socket to recharge it. There is no
option to even use a regular type battery with the
W/A
otoscope even in an emergency.
Will all
brands of disposable specula work with the Pro
Fiber-optic
LED Otoscope?
Yes,
all disposable specula brands found in the USA and
Europe work well. We also sell them on our website
www.otoscopespecula.com
Is it difficult for
parents to learn to do ear exams?
This
is one of those questions that has two
answers....yes and no. The key to doing ear exams is
practice. It is important to begin doing otoscope
exams on a willing adult as opposed to a child. The
ear canals are larger and the eardrum is easier to
see in an adult. The key is to look into as many
adult ear canals as possible to get a feel for what
normal eardrum looks like. When you visualize an
eardrum that is red, has fluid behind it, or is
simply abnormal you will quickly recognize this.
The
old saying practice makes perfect could not apply
more to any situation than it does to doing ear
exams.
It is
also always important to always go slow and never
ever force or pry the otoscope in an ear canal in
any way shape or form. Always look to see what is in
front of you through the viewing window of the
otoscope before advancing it into an ear canal.
Never push the specula tip into the ear canal unless
you have a clear view that there is nothing in front
of you.
Realize that in some children and even adults it is
impossible to see the eardrum. Some children and
even adults have very small ear canals and/or also
filled with earwax and debris which make it
impossible to see the eardrum. Even as a physician
it is impossible to see into some ears.
It is
also advisable especially with pediatric exams to
get the help of your local pediatrician. Many
pediatricians today are very supportive of home ear
exams and recognize the value of parents being able
to monitor for the earliest signs of ear infection
or earwax occlusion that can cause hearing loss and
at times even affect the speech development in young
children if not recognized early.
Lifetime Warranty
Pro-Physician Fiber-optic
LED Otoscope carries a
lifetime guaranty against defects in workmanship.
Should the unit fail to function under conditions of
normal use, simply return the unit and it will be
repaired or replaced free of charge. This guaranty
also covers the LED bulb. The warranty does exclude
units that exhibit signs of use or abuse beyond
normal and sensible wear and tear.
