Buying Guide For Used Ophthalmic Equipment

By Teri Farley


One of the factors you have to consider when kicking off your eye clinic practice is whether to buy new or used ophthalmic equipment. The decision on which choice you finally settle on will be determined by several factors including how much capital you have to start with, the price of new versus used ophthalmic kit and the availability of the apparatus in the market around you.

If your budget is limited, the obvious choice is to buy old appliances rather than contemporary ones. The decision to buy second-hand items will reduce the financial pressure on your eye care practice, leaving you spare change to invest in other areas of the business. Other requirements entail decor, medical consumables and the cost of employing staff. Spending all your initial capital on state of the art equipage could leave you short of available cash to invest in these important considerations, which although secondary to equipage, nonetheless add essential value to the ongoing operational success of your practice.

Clients may experience more confidence in your services if the furnishings in your office environment reflect up market professionalism. This can also be true of hiring a few additional support personnel. A well-prepared budget will support your decision to go for old or new tools. In an ideal world and if your budget permits, it is preferable to buy state of the art eye care appliances.

Once you have made the decision to go for used equipment, you will need to understand that there are 3 main ways you can find such kit. The first option is to find the apparatus from another private practitioner. The challenge with this option is that the warranty is never valid anymore. However, you may need to engage a personal technician to ascertain the functionality of the apparatus. The other challenge with this option is that you may end up spending so much more on repairs and maintenance costs especially where calibrations have expired. In other words, this option is the most risky of all.

Another option is going for refurbished item. These are but secondhand kit that have been refurbished and brought back to the market. They will cost much lower than new apparatus.

It is also important to think about where you would buy the used item from. Most first time ophthalmologists advocate for getting the kit from practitioners who are retiring from practice. Well, if you can get hold of one, then this is the best deal.

You can also scan through several auctioneering sites to check whether you may come upon some good equipment. Wherever you prefer to get the kit, it is imperative that you demand to be supplied with the relevant documentation for the apparatus. Many auctions may still have issues with the previous owners of the kit.

Always balance the price of used ophthalmic equipment with quality before you commit to purchase. With refurbished and remanufactured instruments, ensure that you get a long term warranty. A little research before buying can save you a lot of wasted time and money spent on subsequent repairs.




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