Medical Equipment Blog


Choosing Between Traditional & Binocular Microscopes

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Whether you're browsing catalogs or websites, you might still have questions about your binocular microscope purchase. Here are some of the most popular questions that customers have been asking about binocular microscopes. How Does a Binocular Microscope Work? Just as with a traditional microscope, a binocular microscope works by magnifying the image on the slide by using multiple lenses and the addition of light. When you use two viewers instead of one, this allows you to get a 3D representation of the image on the slide, which can be far more effective in an educational setting. To use binocular microscopes, you simply place the slide onto the tray and you move the lens until it is sitting close to the slide itself. Then, adjust the magnification until you get the resolution you want. If you need more contrast, turn on the illumination feature. Remember that you should always change the magnification slowly so as not to break the slide. What Features Improve the Performance of the Binocular Microscope?
  • There are several features binocular microscopes should have for the ideal performance: High magnification potential – You should be able to see items as up close as possible, depending on your purpose for the viewing. If possible, find out from the supplier what the microscope is typically used for viewing. This will help you get a better sense of its strength.
  • Back lighting – When you want to make sure you can see all of the details, a light on the base of the microscope can help. The light should simply light up the slide without hurting your eyes as you view the object.
  • 3D viewing – Since the use of 2 eyepieces helps your mind process images in the 3D, you should always choose a microscope that's binocular instead of unocular.
What Will the Binocular Microscope Allow Me to See? A lot of your microscope's ability will be determined by its magnifications levels. Thus, the stronger the magnification, the smaller the details the scope will be able to 'see.' Everyday microscopes will typically see larger cells, like those in plants, while stronger microscopes should be able to see skin cells and other tiny particles. Realize that the finer the details you wish to see, the stronger the microscope you should be choosing. How Can I Prevent Eye Strain While Using Binocular Microscopes? The good news is that when you use a binocular microscope, you're already preventing eyestrain. By using both eyes at once, you will not only get a more natural image, but you won't be focusing too hard with just one eye. It will help if you keep both of your eyes open as much as you can during your examination, with periods of blinking once you look away from the slide. You can also look at far away objects from time to time to 'reset' your eyesight and help your vision remain clear and crisp. Rubbing your eyes can cause more damage, so avoid doing this, no matter how good it might feel. For more information about research, medical, surgical, lab and school miscroscopes, please call us toll free at 1-877-706-4480 or visit us at MSEC.

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Suggestions for Foot Care for Diabetics

Friday, May 09, 2008

Do You Know the Foot Care Rules for Diabetics? The foot care rules for diabetics might seem to be a long list of things to add to your day, but when you consider the alternatives - infections, gangrene, and infection – maybe adding a few extra steps to your day will actually add many more steps to your life. Here are some of the most common questions about foot care rules for diabetics. Will Activity Help My Circulation? Activity is one of the many recommendations in the foot care rules for diabetics, but many people don’t understand why. Each time you exercise, you make your body work harder. In order to keep oxygen flowing to your blood cells, your circulation needs to improve in this way – you're using more oxygen, after all, when you move more. And in doing so, your blood pumps harder, causing your circulation to be much more efficient. The benefits of more activity are long term and they can also help to prevent future circulation problems from becoming a hindrance to your life. What Warning Signs Should I Be Looking For? As you follow the basic foot care rules for diabetics, you will be looking at your feet often to note changes. But what should you be looking for? Swelling, blisters, cuts, sores, and redness are all signs that you might have troubles with your feet. You should be looking at every inch of your foot, in between the toes, on the bottoms of the feet, on the tops, etc. If you have troubles doing this basic check, use a mirror or enlist the help of a spouse or a friend. How Often Do I Need to Wash My Feet? In order to keep your feet clean as one of the basic foot care rules for diabetics, you need to wash your feet at least once a day. This will make sure that you are checking your feet regularly, while also removing any dirt and other debris that may have accumulated on your foot's surface. Just wash the surface with warm water and soap and dry completely. Is It Okay for Me to Go Barefoot? The foot care rules for diabetics also state that you can not go barefoot at any time. With all of the possible ways to injure your foot, you need to make sure your feet are covered with socks and shoes at all times. Don't worry; there are many stylish options in diabetic shoes and footwear. Should I Be Worried about the Temperature of My Feet? Since you can have nerve damage at your extremities, you might want to avoid hot and cold too when you are caring for your feet as one of the foot care rules for diabetics. This means, no walking on the hot pavement or sand without shoes or socks, as well as no walking around colder surfaces. Chances are good that while you might not be able to feel the temperature chances, you could also be burning yourself without realizing it or causing frostbite – both of which could result in infections. For additional information on diabetic shoes and footwear, for both women and men, please call us toll free at 1-877-706-4480 or visit or diabetic footwear section.

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Diabetic Shoes: Making Diabetes More Bearable


Are Diabetic Shoes the Right Fit for You? When you're out shopping for medical supplies, diabetic shoes should be on your list too. While you might not realize it, the way that you care for your feet when you have diabetes is going to have a great impact on your long term health. Whether you have stable blood sugar levels or not, you need to start looking down at your toes to make sure you're doing all that you can for your health and for your body. What Does Diabetes Do to Your Feet? You've already heard from your doctor about the problems of having diabetes. When your blood sugar levels aren't managed, this can cause troubles with your kidneys and with your blood vessels. Both are serious conditions that have probably helped to convince you to take the best care you can of yourself. At the same time, those are the bigger and often more commonly mentioned complications of diabetes. But you are also at risk for nerve damage as well as foot infections that can spread to the rest of your body. Since the nerves aren't able to sense pain and pressure as well as they once did, this can cause simple infections to turn into life-threatening conditions – unless you take the time to care for yourself from head to toes. Making Lifestyle Changes that Help The good news is that it's actually quite simple to care for your feet when you're a diabetic, though it will take disciple and vigilance. Each time you take off your shoes and your socks, you will want to check for any cuts, scrapes or bruises and alert your doctor to any changes you might see. They may have you take medications to prevent further problems or they might need to see you in their office. Also, you will want to make sure you are washing your feet with warm water to keep them clean at the end of the day. In addition, wearing diabetic shoes can help to prevent the injuries and the infections from happening in the first place. These shoes are specially designed for the foot that's more sensitive to pressure and to pain. Long Term Solutions for Diabetes Choosing diabetic shoes will help you ensure that your feet's chances of blisters are minimal. If you wear traditional shoes, you might get a blister that you don't notice (especially when you aren't doing regular checks for cuts and scrapes). And if this blister becomes infected, it can turn into a more complicated infection that leads to ulcers and eventually gangrene. Since diabetics have a hard time with infections, things can get out of hand more quickly than with everyone else. This is why it's so important to not only use and wear diabetic shoes, but also to regulate your diet and exercise plans. Getting regular checks by your doctor, taking your medications as indicated and monitoring your blood sugar are also long term solutions for preventing long term and unnecessary problems. For additional information on diabetic shoes and footwear, for both women and men, please call us toll free at 1-877-706-4480 or visit or diabetic footwear section.

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