For surgeons and practitioners to perform to the best of their abilities, the need to be supported by optimal lighting is essential.
All aspects of medical procedures require efficiency, safety and effectiveness and it is not surprising that appropriate and sufficient lighting is a critical component to success.
In this blog, we’ll explore some of the challenges that healthcare facilities face and the important considerations that are part of a nuanced approach to ideal lighting in the OR theater.
Brighter is Not Always Better
Surgeons require clear visibility of a surgical site, especially when operating in small, deep cavities. Augmenting overhead operating room lighting with surgical headlights provides surgeons optimal illumination of the surgical site at all times, while minimizing shadows within the cavity.
Until recently, only surgical headlights powered by Xenon light sources offered the intense level of illumination desired by surgeons. However, with recent advances in LED technology surgeons now have access to light sources that offer equivalent high-intensity illumination with the benefits that LED brings to the conversation.
The broad range of BFW LED headlight options allow the surgeon to utilize the maximum intensity needed for a specific procedure as opposed to over- or underillumination of the site which could exacerbate eye fatigue.
Minimally Invasive Procedures On The Rise
With the advent of more minimally-invasive procedures, surgeons increasingly rely on headlights that have precise focus and can be easily positioned. In an operating room, space is limited in more than one way. Surgical headlights have been used for years to supplement the overhead lighting that is often blocked by the surgical team and inevitably will produce shadows during the surgery.
Eye Fatigue
Though eye fatigue is an element of many professions, it is especially problematic for surgeons. Burning, dry and tired eyes can be avoided in the OR by the implementation of LED light sources that provide consistent intensity at an adequate level of brightness for visual acuity.
BFW provides a variety of headlights that work well for many differing specialties. Our lights range in output from 30,000 LUX to 220,000 LUX. The light emitted is consistent and clear and designed to illuminate the site without glare. And because they are powered by LED, there is no high heat infra-red output. Instead, there is only light from the visible spectrum.
Using the intensity of illumination that is sufficient for each procedure as well as technology that reduces damaging light-waves will contribute to the ease of eye fatigue leading to the successful outcomes every surgeon looks to achieve.
