Dragonfly Powered Loupe
Featuring a counterbalance design, Dragonfly is a first-of-its-kind powered loupe with a wireless headlight that’s fully integrated into the eyewear frame
Married couples don’t always agree, and sometimes, getting on the same page requires an air of compromise. That was not the case for Drs. Matthew and Sarah Karls when they recently took Orascoptic’s new Dragonfly loupe-and-headlight system for a spin in their Waunakee, WI, practice. In fact, they quickly agreed that the product offers excellent magnification and ergonomics…without compromise.
Dragonfly is a first-of-its-kind powered loupe with a wireless headlight that’s fully integrated into the eyewear frame. Because all electronics and batteries are completely contained within the custom-built frame itself, there are no visible wires or cables. While it may be easy to assume that adding a battery pack to the arms of your glasses might signal a compromise—for example, no cords but heavier frames—that’s certainly not been the case for Dr. Sarah Karls.
“It’s nice to have the batteries and glasses as one unit,” she said. “I have tried this in the past with other loupes, but I am a smaller female and it always felt heavy. These feel remarkably light, basically the same as other loupes without batteries on the glasses. Plus, unlike the system I currently wear that has a cord and battery pack, I no longer have to worry about accidentally snagging the cord on equipment.”
A Phenomenal Fit
After practicing with 7 different loupe-and-headlight systems, it’s safe to say that Dr. Matthew Karls knows a thing or two about magnification. “The earlier loupe-and-light combos were quite heavy and cumbersome,” he recalled. “The ergonomics of the Dragonfly are wonderful, especially the lightweight and flexible frame. There is significantly less weight and pressure on my head with this set of loupes, and I don’t feel as fatigued as I did in the past when doing longer procedures. I also noticed when working on patients with special needs—especially wiggly kids or those with limited ability to lay back fully in the dental chair—that they are more comfortable and don’t move as much when I need to use less-than-optimal posture.”
As for the fit of the Dragonfly loupes? “Excellent,” said Dr. Sarah Karls. “I basically forget that I have them on.” Citing the overall fit as his favorite feature of the new loupes, Dr. Matthew Karls shared, “The fit is phenomenal. I’ve used Orascoptic’s previous two XV1 models, and this is a significant upgrade. I noticed the difference immediately when I put them on for the first time.”
While Dr. Ravichandra Juluri has used both traditional and sports frames from Orascoptic and other brands, Dragonfly is his first experience with a cordless loupe, and in his opinion, it’s been the easiest system to get used to. “The absence of cords and a battery pack help take pressure off the nose pad so I don’t feel so weighed down,” he said. “The loupes are stable, fit well, are easy to turn on and off, and it’s even easier to maneuver around patients without worrying about a cord.”
Clarity without Compromise
Most people don’t spend much time staring at a dragonfly’s head. But if you did, it would be hard to miss the insect’s enormous compound eyes that provide nearly 360-degree vision, allowing the insect to keep an expert watch over its prey.
The Dragonfly headlight features a visionary marvel of its own when it comes to TruColor, Orascoptic’s pioneering technology that allows the headlight to render colors much closer to natural sunlight and deliver breakthrough color rendering without compromising light output, spot uniformity, or battery run time. While most other loupe-mounted headlights exhibit a color rendering index score below 80, the research and development team at Orascoptic was able to achieve a score greater than 90 across its full range of integrated headlights for vivid, truer colors.
“TruColor light is bright and does not give me a headache,” noted Dr. Juluri. “Previously when I used the blue light, I would have a headache at the end of the day.” Dr. Sarah Karls agreed, sharing, “The clarity of the headlight is great. I increased magnification with the Dragonfly, and it’s nice to see everything much more clearly. Between the all-in-one design and increase in magnification, I am in love with these loupes. I would never want to practice without them!”
