Lid speculum (An ideal speculum is one which can allow surgeon to gain access to the eye with minimal pressure on the globe. Several designs are available.)

Frankel paediatric speculum Sauer paediatric speculum These speculae are designed for opening infant's eye during indirect  ophthalmoloscopy and cataract extraction. Frankel speculum allows  adjustment of the width of the palpebral fissure.

Barraquer wire speculum Speculum can be divided into the rigid and the wire speculum. Barraquer is probably  the most widely used speculum for cataract extraction especially during phacoemulsification Its main disadvantage when compared with the rigid speculum is that it cannot be used to adjust the width of the palpebral fissure.

Pierce speculum Pierce speculum combine the features of wire and rigid speculum. It allows adjustment of  the interpalpebral distance.

Williams eye speculum This is a rigid speculum and allows the width of the palpebral fissure to be adjusted. It is used commonlyin strabismus or enucleation surgery where a wide palpebral fissure is desirable. However, one main disadvantage of a widely open eye is that the lateral canthus may push on the eye leading to an increase in the intraocular pressure. Therefore, excessive widening of the palpebral fissure should be avoided in patients with penetrating injury.

Lang speculum Lang speculum is a rigid speculum. In addition, it has guards which help to keep the  eyelashes out of the operative fields. However, this function has now been superseded  by the wide spread use of plastic drape which is excellent in keeping the lashes out of  the way. One disadvantage of Lang's speculum is that it can slip out of the eyes if the lids  are floppy as during evisceration or enucleation of a pthisical eye. More surgical instruments