Ergonomic aspects in the design of instrumentation for ophthalmic microsurgery

The following report introduces two projects, dealing about ergonomics in ophthalmic microsurgery. The first project is devoted to the development of a method, by means of which the design of microsurgical instrumentation is evaluated quantitatively. Developed method particularly considers conditions of instrument use as found in microsurgical practice. In a first attempt, the method was validated using laypersons. In the second project, various measures are introduced aiming to improve the posture of the surgeon during the microsurgery. One of the measures consists in using a large 3D-monitor to present the microscopic image to the surgeon instead of viewing the image through the oculars of a traditional microscope. The measure therefore enables a more relaxed posture of the surgeon. In addition, a chair was developed, considering to support the surgeon’s posture when operating using the 3D-monitor or the traditional microscope while performing the microsurgery.