I fondly remember my first ophthalmoscope. Having ‘test driven’ various makes in the student clinics at Aston University I decided I wanted a Keeler.
The Specialist was the best, but sadly out of my price range so I went for the Practitioner. In a further effort not to plunge me into debt I elected to go for a combination set with the two heads sharing one handle. Big mistake, as it was a real pain having to keep unscrewing and changing heads, and I instantly regretted not going for the Specialist with its sleek narrow head.
The combination set came in a little black box and the lid used to override the base when it was squashed into my bag and soon caused the metal trim to fall off.
Nevertheless, it served me well for many years, although the handles were much flimsier in those days and the rheostat worked by spinning around a thin piece of metal with butterfly flanges to create the contact from base to head. After a while the flanges broke off rendering the equipment inoperable. On more than one occasion I managed to render repairs by cutting and fathoming an equivalent shape out of a piece of a coke tin with tin snips.
Over the years the handles improved and became much smaller and lighter than mine, which needed two large batteries. I found an old Specialist head in a dusty cupboard which fitted on my handle from a retired ophthalmic optician, as we were in those days. Bulbs were changing and becoming more powerful too.
My new acquisition had dirty lenses so I put it in the ultrasonic cleaner, only to remove the lubrication from the mechanism and cause it to seize up. Ever the enthusiastic DIY man I undid the screws and took the top off. Another big mistake as the tiny lenses are on a little track unattached and all spilled onto the floor. Lesson learned – let Keeler service any future purchases.
I went back to my old Practitioner, but sadly, it bit the dust many years ago and like many, I use indirect lenses most the time now. But you can’t beat a direct ophthalmoscope for those tiny pupils.
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