Do Surgeons Need to Be Ambidextrous?

You do not need to become ambidextrous. In general, medical centers provide generic "right-handed" instruments to surgeons. Although they exist and can be ordered by hospitals, left-handed surgical instruments are not always readily available at all medical centers.

Is being ambidextrous good for surgery?

For ophthalmologists, practice makes perfect in becoming ambidextrous. Eye surgeons should be comfortable performing procedures with either hand, and complex cases—especially glaucoma procedures—require a good level of dexterity with both hands, according to Valentina Lozano, MD, and Ticiana de Francesco, MD.

Do surgeons use both hands?

Today, surgeons use both hands with synchronous use of foot pedals while operating on the basis of projected images. This holistic and synergized hand, eye, and foot coordination makes laterality almost irrelevant.