Adding To Your Medical Equipment Collection?: Used Optometry Equipment You Don't Need A License To Buy

People collect all kinds of different and unusual things. Usually, what each person collects tends to "speak" to something in him or her as a collector. Some people collect cars, while others collect taxidermy animals. Some people collect laboratory equipment, both vintage and modern. Then there is your collection; a treasure trove of medical equipment and supplies. Some of it may be out-of-date and therefore no longer usable while other pieces are museum-worthy. If you want to expand your collection to include other pieces of medical equipment or devices, you may want to consider used optometry equipment. There are several pieces that you do not need a medical license to buy, and most of the used optometry equipment is far less expensive than collecting brand new items.

Chart Projectors

There are a couple of different eye chart projectors that you can buy from used medical equipment salespeople. Some of them hang on the wall behind the patient's head and project forward onto a blank white wall in front of the patient. Others are light boxes that hang on a wall and appear blank until the light switch is flipped and then the hidden screen of letters or shapes appears on the box front. Most of these are not used to perform any type of surgery, so they are considered safe enough to sell to anyone who wants to buy them.

Exam Chairs

Although it may be considered quirky or strange, exam chairs and old barber chairs are highly collectible items by people who collect medical equipment. Since they are just furniture in which the patients can sit and relax during an exam, you do not need a license to buy or own them. Some collectors even use exam chairs as standard furniture in their homes!

Phoropters

This may be the most expensive piece of used optometry equipment in your collection, but one which can add a certain authenticity to your collection too. A phoropter is that piece of equipment that resembles oversized goggles and is placed over the bridge of your nose by the optometrist. Various adjusting lenses inside the phoropter help the optometrist discover if the patient has a vision problem that needs correction and help decipher the patient's correct prescription for glasses. Typically, the phoropter is attached to a boom swing arm which is attached to a stand that keeps the phoropter "goggles" from falling over (they are heavy). If you buy a used phoropter to add to your collection, make sure you have enough space to place it and/or bolt it to the floor so that it stays upright and undamaged.