Mastel Precision
Life-long Passion. Fine Metalwork. Surgical Precision.

Seldom in life does one man’s passion for others transform an entire industry. Doug Mastel is one such person.

Ophthalmology was a passion that drove Mastel’s entire being. Possessing an innate inclination to help people and a strong desire to make a difference within the ophthalmic industry, he set out to understand the issues affecting ophthalmologists and their patients. Over the years, through the countless hours spent in surgery with ophthalmologists, he became aware of problems with ophthalmic devices that hindered optimal surgery and efficient post-surgery recovery. Originally trained in metallurgical engineering, he realized that these problems could be solved with the combination of engineering and fine metalworking, and decided to bring his and the many ophthalmologists he worked with ideas to fruition.

Blending his expertise in metallurgy with his passion for ophthalmology, Doug Mastel founded Mastel Precision Surgical Instruments, a medical device manufacturing firm which specializes in designing and producing premium quality diamond scalpels and precision surgical instruments for the ophthalmic industry. Incorporated in 1994, this Rapid City, South Dakota-based company continues its late founder’s life-long mission to leverage the vast and profound knowledge of the intricacies of ophthalmic instruments to build highly optimized surgical instruments that enhance patient’s lives. “Our goal is to provide the highest quality instruments to doctors that facilitate precision in the operating room, and positively affect patient outcomes,” says Lizby Mathews, Marketing Director of Mastel Precision.

The combination of fine metalworking with a detail-oriented craftsmen workforce has helped Mastel Precision gain the leading edge in metal finishing in the ophthalmic industry. Known in the industry for developing an extensive line of ultra-thin, minimally invasive diamond scalpels, Mastel Precision carries forward its founder’s legacy of designing edges that promote minimal scarring and faster surgical wound healing. 40 years ago, when most industry-standard diamonds were typically measuring in the range of 220-330 microns in thickness, Mastel designed an ultra-thin diamond measuring just 110 microns thin. Additionally, Mastel introduced new designs for diamonds by modifying their geometries to suit specific surgical procedures.

Today, Mastel Precision offers the ophthalmic industry roughly 90 variations of diamond scalpel sizes and geometries. “Our diamonds go through a very rigorous inspection process using 600x microscopes–against the industry usage of 100-300x microscopes– before they are installed in the instrument handle. The same rigorous inspection is also applied to assess the geometries of the diamonds,” says Craig Dahlke, Senior Sales Manager at Mastel Precision, who cites this as a key differentiator for the company.

Our goal is to provide the highest quality instruments to doctors that facilitate precision in the operating room, and positively affect patient outcomes

Engineering First-class Precision Surgical Instruments

Mastel Precision has three main product categories – diamond scalpels that come with three handle variations and a plethora of diamond options; handheld pre-operative and intra-operative astigmatism alignment and marking instruments like Gimbel Mendez Rings, Davis MD One-Steps, Optical Zone Markers (OZM), and Bakewell Bubble Levels.The third category consists of surgical accessories such as the Freeman Fog Free lens warmers, Illuminated Surgical Keratoscope, and Mandell Practice Eye Mount platform.

All of Mastel Precision’s instruments are designed to solve specific problems, mirroring Doug Mastel’s eye for detail. This aspect is reflected in the design of the Gimbel Mendez rings, which consist of three different patterns depending on the relative position of the surgeon with respect to the patient during surgery. This ensures that the instrument is adaptable to surgeon preference, while also maintaining accuracy in operative marking. The Davis MD One-Step, a pre-operative corneal marker, is another of Mastel’s masterpieces. This instrument reduces the steps involved in the process for pre-marking toric lenses by allowing doctors to pre-set the steep meridian mark prior to surgery, thereby reducing the margin for error.

Innovative surgical accessories complete Mastel Precision’s product line. The Freeman FogFree warms the microscopic lens, preventing lens fog and thereby ensures visibility throughout the surgery. The Illuminating Surgical Keratoscope, which consists of a ring of lights, fastens to the bottom of a surgical microscope, projects a light image on the cornea, and helps doctors identify and check successful correction of astigmatism post-surgery. The Mandell Practice Eye Mount platform allows vacuum mounting of eyeballs that surgeons and medical universities can utilize in their wet lab operations. Furthermore, Mastel Precision specializes in servicing and repairing all brands of diamond scalpels, offering an annual maintenance program for both diamond scalpels and diamond blade cleaning systems.

Many of Mastel Precision’s customers attest to using Mastel’s instruments for decades without complaints. “This is the result of the innovation, quality and performance of the instruments Doug Mastel had brought to the ophthalmic industry through working with the doctors,” Dahlke remarks. From getting rave reviews for pioneering a micrometer diamond scalpel designed by Mastel in 1994 to becoming ISO-certified in 2013, Mastel Precision has certainly come a long way.

With upcoming products under development, Mastel Precision intends to be the highest quality precision surgical instrument manufacturer in the market, while keeping in mind the industry needs. Simultaneously, Mastel Precision continues working toward helping surgeons cut down on surgical times, by allowing them to focus more on the surgery and less on the instruments. Having key eye surgeons and several industry leaders by their side, Mastel Precision will continue to address and remedy the issues the ophthalmic industry faces in the present, and the future, guided by the knowledge and values instilled and left behind by their enterprising founder.