Recommended Instruments for 1st Years @ UIC


Indirect Ophthalmoscope


Most expensive item, luckily, tough to go wrong. Most people recommend sticking with one of two companies, either one will do honestly. Its tough to choose since most 1st years haven't really used one before, but it really doesn't matter which you get anyway. The two companies are:

Heine
Have a range of indirects, cheap to expensive. Same company of the indirects in Retina clinic. We have replacement bulbs available, but honestly, these bulbs last a long time and it will likely not be a factor. Most residents have Heine's, probably because its become tradition, and Retina has them also. Most everyone with a Heine is happy with it.

Keeler
Very nice indirects, look a little more ergonomic and the AllPupil in particular is very lightweight on the head. No replacement bulbs around, but very unlikely to become an issue. Most residents who get these are very happy as well.

Pretty much all the indirects come with a bag. Most people get the soft case, simply because its lighter and you can stuff a lot in there. The hard case sounds nice for protection purposes, but its generally not worth it, its bulky and heavy, and remember you need to carry all this stuff around with you a lot. Stick with soft case.



Lenses


Most people get two lenses, and most stick with Volk lenses. Nikon is supposedly nice as well, but almost everyone sticks with Volk. If you know what you're doing, you might want a 90, or a 28, or whatever. The standard two lenses everyone gets, and all you really need at this point are:

78
For slit lamp use, mostly for looking at the macula. Pretty much a must have.

20
For use with indirect ophthalmoscope, mostly for periphery. Another must have.



Direct Ophthalmoscope and Attachments


Basically, almost everyone sticks with Welch Allyn. Unless you know better, stick with the same.

Handle
Lithium battery handle has a nice battery life, less prone to recharge memory so its tougher to mess up the charge time of the battery. Most get the lithium battery handle, although its a bit more expensive. You could get the old school silver handle with the Ni-Cd batteries to save a few bucks, but its heavier and the battery is less forgiving to recharging without fully discharging first. The lithium handles come with a little charging coupler, so you plug it into the wall, you can do the same with the Ni-Cd handles, but those also fit into some of the clinic charging stations, which is a trivial advantage. May actually be a disadvantage, because it might walk off easier.

Retinoscope
Welch Allyn. 'Nuff said.

Direct Ophthalmoscope head
Go with the simple head, nobody uses that Panoptic thingie.

Finhoff Light head (muscle light)
Welch Allyn.

Case
Nice to have a case to carry all this stuff in. If you have a set from medical school, you probably have a case with space for that oto head, might not work right for the retinoscope. Whatever suits you best, might just have to splurge a little and get a proper case.



Gonioscopy Lenses

This is less of a must have, but once you hit call, its extremely valuable, and practically a must have. One option is to wait a few weeks and order it later, once you have a clue as to whats what. Two types of lenses to choose from:

4 Mirror Gonio Lens
Most people who get a gonio lens get this. Basically, its easier to do gonio with, and doesn't require goniosol which can mess up the view to the Retina. You can also do compression gonio with this type of lens. Can't use as a fundus lens though, so no lasering through it. But, the laser rooms all have the necessary laser lenses, so its not a big issue.
The next question is which 4 mirror. Well, you can choose from a Sussmann, Zeiss, Posner, etc. You can choose one with a handle, or not. Basically, the handle seems like a nice idea, but in actuality, its a bit cumbersome for most, although some people love it. The Sussmann is nice, no handle, nice view. Basically, choose a handled one or non-handled, and go from there. Volk makes both, or you can go with a more expensive one if you wish.

Goldmann Lens
Bigger, bulkier 3 mirror lens. Cannot do compression gonio because the lens rests on sclera instead of cornea. Very nice view though, because its very difficult to blink it off once its applied with goniosol. Plus, you can view the periphery as well with one of the mirrors. But the price is that its tough to get some folks to get their eyes open enough to apply it, and the goniosol messes up the view to the retina. Its a nice fundus lens and can be used for laser also. But, it takes a lot of time to apply also, so its use as a fundus lens is limited. Probably most residents if they get a gonio lens get a 4 mirror, its just easier to use. Most laser rooms have the necessary lenses for that purpose, so you pretty much don't need it for that purpose either. If you have money to throw around, it does have a nice niche of uses, but likely will sit in your bag for looooong periods of time between uses.

Loops


Don't worry about loops until second year. Most people don't get them anyway, because you really only need them for peds and for plastics. Most residents borrow them from seniors also whenever the need arises.


That should do it. Ask the 2nd and 3rd years if you have questions, everybody went through this process so we can all pass along our little tidbits of advice.

So, to recap, you will need:

Indirect ophthalmoscope with case
78 and 20 lenses
Direct Ophthalmoscope handle
Direct Ophthalmoscope head
Retinoscope head
Finhoff (muscle light) head
 (case for direct hand and heads a nice thing to have)
(consider a 4 mirror gonio lens, might want to wait and order it later)


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