Practicing surgery with a training microscope is an effective and efficient way to pick up microsurgical skills.

The operating microscope is a stereo microscope optimized for use in surgery. The key features are:

• Working distance (at least 200 mm)
• Variable magnification
• Illumination

Our training lab uses an Leica M651 microscope which is very nice but also very expensive

Chung and his colleagues from South Korea describe using the Nikon SMZ645 microscope for training. Their used microscope had a working distance of 115 mm which is too close for proper microsurgery. They modified it with a 0.7 auxillary objective lens which increased the working distance to 150 mm.

• Smartphone: Smartphone exoscope
• Lazy glasses: Lazy Glasses

Adapted from chung2017:

• Jeweler's forceps x 2 (1 of the pair to be used as microsurgical needle holder)
• Iris scissors (as alternative to microsurgical scissors)
• Alligator clamps - with teeth filed off

Choosing a Jeweler's forceps

• 11 to 13.5 mm long
• tip width 0.3mm