Join us in celebrating outstanding contributions to ophthalmology at the COS Awards of Excellence Ceremony. This special event will honor the recipients of the Paper and Poster Awards, recognizing their exceptional research and innovation. Paper award winners will be presented with their awards, while poster winners will have the opportunity to showcase their winning work.

Author’s Name(s): Hargun Kaur, Amy Basilious, Jim Xie, Kwangsei Kim, Safa Hussain, Allison AngoldStephens, Mike Agnew, Rookaya Mather 

Author’s Disclosure Block: Hargun Kaur, none; Amy Basilious, none; Jim Xie, none; Kwangsei Kim, none; Safa Hussain, none; Allison Angold-Stephens, none; Mike Agnew, none; Rookaya Mather, none 

Abstract Body

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a newly designed slit lamp with adjustable oculars in reducing musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risks in ophthalmologists and optometrists. Study Design:  A within-subjects design was conducted at Ivey Eye Institute in London, Ontario. The study involved three different slit lamp types: Haag-Streit BQ900 slit lamp with conventional oculars, Haag-Streit BQ900 slit lamp with a fixed inclined eyepiece and the Takagi slit lamp, with adjustable eyepieces. Methods: Participants completed a 2-minute simulated eye examination using each slit lamp design. Postural demands were quantified through digitized measurements of head angles during the examination, specifically evaluating lower cervical angles (head poke) and upper cervical angles (head nod). Repeated measures ANOVA was utilized to analyze differences in postural demands across the devices. Results: 15 clinicians (8 male, 7 female) were assessed at Ivey Eye Institute in London, Ontario, with a mean age of 48 years, height of 1.72 meters, and weight of 75 kg. The findings demonstrated that the Takagi slit lamp with adjustable oculars significantly reduced postural demands. Lower cervical angles (head poke) and upper cervical angles (head nod) exhibited significant differences (p < 0.0001) among the devices. The adjustable eyepiece design also led to decreased neck muscle demand and estimated strength requirements, showing a 50% reduction in effort needed to perform tasks. Furthermore, adopting the new slit lamp reduces accumulated neck fatigue to 7% of acceptable daily demands, compared to 17% for the traditional slit lamp. Adopting the adjustable eyepiece design could yield a 24% increase in slit lamp productivity Conclusions: The slit lamp with adjustable eyepieces significantly mitigates postural strain and MSK risks associated with slit lamp work among ophthalmologists and optometrists. The results suggest that innovative designs, particularly those that allow for greater adjustability, can enhance clinician ergonomics and reduce the prevalence of cervical neck pain. These findings underscore the importance of integrating ergonomic solutions in clinical settings to improve occupational health. Future research should explore the image quality, optics and craftsmanship of such equipment in conjunction with ergonomic design to ensure that functionality is preserved. Additionally, further studies should assess the generalizability of these results across varying task durations and conditions.