Opening a New Eye Care Practice? Here Is the Equipment You Need for Your First Exam Lane

Opening a New Eye Care Practice? Here Is the Equipment You Need for Your First Exam Lane

Opening a new optometry or ophthalmology practice is an exciting milestone — and one of the most important early decisions you will make is how to equip your exam lanes. Getting the right equipment from the start sets the foundation for efficient workflows, happy patients, and a practice that can grow.

At Blue River Medical, we help new and expanding practices across Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Utah plan and equip their exam lanes from scratch. Here is a practical guide to what you need.

The Core Exam Lane

Every exam lane needs a foundation of core diagnostic and refraction equipment. At minimum, a fully functional exam lane includes:

Refraction

• Phoropter — manual or digital, depending on your workflow and budget. See our guide on How to Choose a Phoropter
• Digital acuity system — for standardized, repeatable visual acuity testing
• Trial lens set — for manual refraction and specialty fitting

Available through Reichert and Norwood Vision.

Tonometry

• Tonometer — IOP measurement is a core part of every comprehensive exam
• The iCare IC100 is a popular choice for new practices — portable, no calibration, no anesthesia required

Anterior Segment

• Slit lamp — essential for anterior segment examination
• Available through Reichert, Norwood Vision, and Envi

Patient Seating and Lane Setup

• Exam chair and stand — the physical foundation of your lane
• Instrument stand — for organizing and positioning your diagnostic equipment
• Available through Envi and Norwood Vision

Diagnostic Imaging

Depending on your patient population and clinical focus, you may also want to consider:

• Fundus camera — for retinal documentation and diabetic eye screening (iCare DRSplus or EIDON)
• Visual field analyzer — for glaucoma screening and monitoring (M&S Technologies)
• Corneal topographer — for contact lens fitting and anterior segment assessment (Eaglet Eye Surface Profiler)
• Lensometry — for reading existing prescriptions (Reichert)

Dry Eye and Treatment Technology

Dry eye is one of the most common conditions seen in eye care practices. If you plan to offer dry eye treatment services, consider:

• IPL and RF platforms — MD Elite iPro Elite and InfinityPro for in-office dry eye treatment
• Dry eye diagnostic and support products — Oasis Medical dry eye drops and punctal plugs

Planning Your Build-Out Budget

Equipment costs vary widely depending on the brands, configurations, and quantity you choose. A practical approach for new practices:

1. Start with the essentials — refraction, tonometry, slit lamp, and seating
2. Add imaging based on your patient focus — diabetic patients need a fundus camera; glaucoma patients need visual fields
3. Phase in advanced technology — dry eye platforms and specialty imaging can be added as the practice grows
4. Use Section 179 — deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment in your first tax year. See our Section 179 guide

Work With Blue River Medical

Blue River Medical specializes in helping new and expanding eye care practices plan, equip, and set up exam lanes across Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Utah. We handle everything from equipment selection and ordering to installation, calibration, and staff training.

Call us at (877) 707-5688 or contact us to start planning your practice build-out.