The repair and maintenance of ophthalmic equipment, including surgical instruments and diagnostic devices, can be compared to the maintenance of a motor vehicle, something many of us understand well. If you had a car, would you drive it until the fuel runs out or until a tyre punctures, and then abandon it to buy a new car? Of course not. However, many eye care units purchase (or receive as a donation) expensive and delicate equipment which, because of poor maintenance, ends up breaking down.

If there is not a system in place to report breakdowns and to plan or carry out repairs, equipment can remain unusable for long periods of time. Sometimes, this equipment ends up being dumped. Good maintenance habits and an effective repair system will minimise the amount of equipment downtime.

In our experience, approximately one-third of problems reported with ophthalmic equipment arise from problems caused by the user, one-third from easy-to-solve technical problems (such as a blown bulb or fuse, or a loose power cord), and only one-third require more serious fault-finding procedures and special knowledge of the equipment. Equipment users therefore have a significant role to play in the everyday care and maintenance of equipment.

Whatever system your eye unit has in place, the maintenance and repair of equipment should be centrally managed. The person responsible (the ‘equipment person’) will assign tasks, keep maintenance and repair records, design maintenance schedules, and arrange the necessary training of staff.

Midwest Ophthalmic Services offers Preventative Maintenance (PM) service to help keep all of your instrumentation in good working order. Service contracts may also be a consideration for your practice where you receive all the benefits of becoming a preferred customer, including on site yearly PM of your equipment  and a 10% discount on all parts used during equipment servicing.