Buying Guide For Used Ophthalmic Equipment

By Teri Farley


When considering starting an eye clinic practice, the decision of whether to buy new or used ophthalmic equipment surfaces. However, the decision you will make depends on several factors including the amount of capital you have at hand. You will also consider factors such as the cost of new kit against the cost of a secondhand one. Finally, you will also consider the availability of the apparatus in the market.

For people whose budgets are constrained, it makes sense that they should buy old equipment rather than new ones. The decision to buy used kit will reduce the capital demands of your eye care practice and leave you some considerable change to invest in other areas of the business such as decor, medical provisions and hiring of staff. Spending all your start off capital on buying new state of the art apparatus may leave you without enough money to invest in these other areas which nonetheless play a very crucial role in the overall success of your eye care clinic.

Clients will for example feel more confident with your services if the decor of your office speaks of class and professionalism, same way as when you are able to hire one or two additional support staff. Having a well-structured out budget will help you decide whether to go for old or new apparatus. Ideally, if your budget allows, it is highly recommended that you buy new ophthalmic kit.

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.

There are also sites that auction used equipment. However, if you are settling for this option, then you should request for relevant documents beforehand and you look at them well. This will help you ascertain if there are any pending issues with the previous owner of the kit.

Always weight the price of the used ophthalmic equipment against the quality before you make a commitment to buy. With refurbished and remanufactured kit ensure that you get a considerable warranty. A little research before buying the apparatus can save you a lot of time and costs spent repairing the equipment.




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