How to set up your Optometry Lab? - Part 1

You can be an Optometrist after pursuing BSc Optometry and yes, you can set up your own lab. There's nothing that can give you a sense of freedom and the confidence to take up the responsibility of setting up a lab after completing a BSc optometry course. The starting point to achieve this dream is to pursue a BSc optometry as one of the health science courses. You can pursue BSc optometry after high school. There is a top institute of health sciences that offers this course.

Are you unsure of the need for a lab post your BSc optometry course? Here are a few reasons to consider them.

• Enhanced service:
• You could provide eyewear more quickly. A straightforward stock prescription may be written in only five minutes.
• Do your patients find this to be important? Sometimes. There are situations where people need new glasses right away. But even in everyday situations, everyone needs glasses right away.
• Having an on-site laboratory after your BSc optometry course can stop patients from leaving and visiting another doctor. The patient returns once the lenses are delivered and have them edged while he waits.
• Consider the inevitable mistakes that labs will make as well. An already lengthy turnaround time can be doubled or tripled by errors and bad orders from commercial labs.
• Owning your own lab post BSc optometry degree prevents this blunder.
• Lower lab expenses: Money could be saved. In-house lab work has cheaper per-job costs, but is this enough to offset the expense of the facility, personnel, and equipment? That is dependent on your staff, physical infrastructure, and patient volume. So, keep this in mind and observe a lot of things during your BSc optometry degree.
• Marketing:
• One-hour service is becoming more and more common. The joy a patient experiences after receiving his spectacles immediately away is a fantastic practice booster.
• Referrals are created by prompt service; lost patients result from delays. You could have an advantage if you position yourself as a one-hour provider for glasses. Although you can mention this service in any internal or external marketing strategy.
• Finishing or surfacing labs:
• A finishing lab will be sufficient for the majority of optometrists. A finishing lab is where an uncut lens blank is edged and fitted into a frame. You are able to create the uncut blank in a surfacing lab. You can engrave the prescription onto a lens blank that hasn't been fully finished using a surface generator and surface polishing equipment. You'll or might have learnt about this in detail in your BSc Optometry degree.

How can you tell if constructing a lab is a wise financial decision for you?

• Calculate the cost:
• Calculate the cost of the construction as well as the increase in pay or staff size.
• Next, determine a monthly payment for the entire project (as if it were a loan or lease payment), include your material expenses, and then contrast this with your typical lab bill.
• It's a wise investment if they're comparable and having your own lab will boost revenue. However, don't bother if costs are equivalent and having a lab complicates your practice. Leave it to the private laboratories.
• It's a good idea to weigh the benefits of hiring an outside lab vs conducting the work yourself. One general rule of thumb: If the job is complicated and the supplies are expensive, let the outside labs do it. Any savings realised by keeping jobs local can be completely undone by a handful of damaged lenses. For instance, surfacing and shaping demand more expertise, effort, and resources. Your return might not be worthwhile unless your practice has a significant volume.
• New, top-of-the-line equipment might cost significantly more than used, entry-level equipment. Conventions are a terrific location to shop around and compare prices on equipment.
• The money's investing potential is a final factor to take into account. What kind of return could you expect if you invested that money as opposed to utilising it to construct a lab? Ask yourself, would it be more advantageous than the lab?

What are the crucial things that'll be needed in the lab?

1. Equipment

• You'll need an edger first. The most expensive tool is either manual or patternless and grinds the lens to the required size and shape.
• A plastic frame pattern, or template of the lens, is necessary for manual edgers, which you may either obtain from the manufacturer of the frame or build using a pattern maker.
• Lens blocking and marking demand a high level of technical expertise. You should use lens blocks (holders applied to lenses to keep them in the edger and permit easy removal and replacement to check to size).
• When you enter patient information, some electronic devices automatically calculate and decenter lenses. The cost increases with the number of features, while error rates decrease.

2. Space 

• Counter space can be used to create a lab. Instead of keeping it in the back of your workplace, put it close to the optical displays. The focal point of your optical centre should be the lab. Include a window on the inside so that customers can view the behind-the-scenes activity while the opticians can see outside to keep an eye on customers.

Right after your BSc Optometry degree, after a fair experience, you decide to establish your own lab. The foundation for your in-office finishing laboratory has already been laid: after doing the math, selecting the services you'll provide, and selecting your equipment, it's time to start organizing the lab. Now the obvious question arises, how to set up the lab? We have covered how to plan your financial and marketing arena post your BSc Optometry in part one. In this blog, we discuss more about the spacing and basic physical lab setup requirements.

Do not hurriedly put things together after your BSc Optometry course from an institute of health sciences. Take the time to -

• Sketch up your floor layout,
• keeping in mind traffic flow,
• safety concerns, and
• efficient use of space.

It will be the best investment you will make post BSc Optometry course.  

The Lab's Layout

The convenient space for the actual lab would be someplace remote from the front desk, the sales floor, and the examination rooms. Work with what you have.

Post your BSc Optometry degree from an institute of health sciences, you must look for a location where you have adequate room to operate comfortably. This can be your reality check as an optometrist.

It would be good if you choose a room that is at least six feet by six feet. Even better would be a space of 100 square feet (or 10 feet by 10 feet).

This would provide you with plenty of room for storage, piping, plumbing, equipment, and movement.

2. Allow yourself some space.

No matter how sophisticated your lab equipment is, if it's crowded into a location where it truly doesn't fit or if the power supply is inadequate, you won't be able to complete the task. Don't risk jeopardising in-house finishing's success by failing to undertake a little advance preparation.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you're creating the blueprint for your lab post your BSc Optometry course.

• A counter space
• Depending on the equipment you select, you'll need at least five to twenty linear feet of counter space.
• You don't want to have machines packed close to one another.
• Allow enough breathing space for the equipment and your staff.
• Depending on the kind of equipment you have, the counter space must be able to sustain 80 to 180 pounds.
• Make sure there is space for a work tray to be put up next to the edger! Better yet, provide enough space around the edger for a work tray to be placed on both sides.
• Cabinet Room
• Allocate more cabinet space for lens storage than you anticipate needing. Your space requirements may quadruple overnight due to changes in your lens inventory and lens components.
• Given that the drain hose and pipelines will pass through the counter directly beneath the edger, the base cabinet holding up the edger should be a 24-inch sink cabinet.
• It is not advisable to put wall cabinets or shelves for storage above the edger since you run the risk of falling anything onto or into the edger and hitting your head on them.
• Water Sources
• Having a direct water supply is optimal for wet edger systems because it will result in lower maintenance costs, better processing outcomes, and no overflow issues.
• Both the water and drain lines will need to be installed by a plumber, and two solenoid valves will be required to regulate the water flow.
• No matter the level of filtration, recirculating water will always result in running water that contains some particles, which will lead to premature wear and will just make the machine dirty more quickly.
• A tank and pump system has greater continuing maintenance expenses despite being simpler and less expensive to install because you won't require a plumber.
• Electrical Power
• Make sure your outlets can manage all the current and power demands for each piece of equipment.
• Some appliances might need grounded 120V power outlets, while others might demand 240V or even a unique outlet.
• It's likely that you'll require the services of an electrician to install a dedicated 20 amp circuit for the edger and a tint tank if you plan to use one.
• Installing the appropriate circuitry is really relatively inexpensive compared to the price of the edger.
• Don't forget to handle the ergonomic issues; always keep your employees' comfort and health in mind.
• Equipment should be positioned so that workers can quickly access the displays and controls. Employees should be able to keep their elbows at a 90° angle when working at the counter or desk. They won't have to bend over a low desk or reach up to a high desk this way.
• There are a few choices available if there are several people working at a standing workstation who are of different heights:

1. They can customize their sit-stand desks to suit their specific needs.
2. Platforms (stools) that make it comfortable for workers who are shorter to reach bench height. These ought to be strong, stable, and capable of bearing the necessary weight.
3. The products that are utilized the most frequently should be accessible.
4. Less commonly used goods can be stored higher, lower, farther away, or both.

You may notice that majority of the things mentioned above are beyond your BSc Optometry. But, you will observe and inculcate a lot from it.

ITM Vocational University based in Vadodara offers health science courses. It is the top institute of health sciences in Vadodara offering BSc Optometry.  The four-year BSc optometry not only provides excellent theoretical knowledge but also robust practical knowledge. The teaching in BSc Optometry is curated based on the up-to-date advancements in the field. With 1 year of integrated clinical training, the BSc optometry course gives you exposure to the recent developments in the fields. BSc Optometry also helps you grow by building your confidence and training you to carry out independent work.

In this way, a BSc optometry course can open up so many opportunities for you. Health science courses open up doors to provide services. Having an established lab of your own post your BSc Optometry degree is every optometrist's wish. So, achieve it!

Any top institute of health sciences will train you about these things. An internship during your BSc Optometry will also make you familiar with the user equipment and different terms mentioned here.

ITM Vocational University offers health science courses. It is the top institute of health sciences.  They offer four-year BSc optometry degree which not only provides excellent theoretical knowledge but also robust practical knowledge. The teaching in BSc Optometry is curated based on the up-to-date advancements in the field. The BSc optometry course gives you exposure to the recent developments in the field. A BSc optometry degree will provide you with more insights that'll be needed to set up your own lab in future. So, get to know what Optometry is like at ITM VU, Vadodara.