Lights & Lamps

Basic Help Guide on Examination and Minor Surgery Lights

Lux = Light Intensity at a Particular Distance

Most minor surgery lights are minimum of 50,000 lux at 1m.

Examination lights sometimes get has high as 50,000 and 60,000 lux but at 0.5m.

An examination light with 32,000 lux at 0.5m, would dramatically reduce to 8,000 lux at 1m, therefore the correct light needs to be used for the correct procedure to allow enough room to carry out a procedure without the light being in the way.

Shadows = Shadows

Imagine dealing with an area where your hands/arm get in the way of the light. This causes shadows. With such a narrow beam this becomes more of a problem.

Minor surgery lights are designed to get round this issue and minimise any shadows so you can carry out the procedure better. Some examination lights are designed with larger light sources too.

Colour Rendition = Full Spectrum of Light Colour Options

Colour Rendition helps to see veins, skin issues, viewing on different skin tones etc. Examination lights are usually limited to 1 or two warm-cold colour settings whereas minor surgery lights usually have more options.

Illuminance field/Beam Size = Area of Light Surrounded by Shadow

Examples of illuminance field would be 170mm or 190mm for exam lights. A minor surgery light might have 180-360mm changeable. The area of light may be important for the procedure.