Here’s How a Huvitz Digital
Phoropter Can Take Your
Practice into the Digital Age

Every year, advancements are made in the eye care industry. Exciting new products are released all the time, but just because a new piece of equipment boasts the latest and most advanced technology doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best investment for your practice.

But there are a few reasons why more and more doctors are deciding to move away from manual phoropters and starting to explore digital refraction capabilities — especially with a Huvitz HDR device — in their offices. These new devices are faster and easier to use, easier on your body, and ultimately, better for the patient experience than conventional alternatives.

We were able to talk to a doctor who has purchased a Huvitz HDR, how she came to her decision on technology, and how it has affected her practice.

“How much time do you spend in your car a day, an hour? I work 8-hour days, so for me, it’s a tool that I use every single day.” That’s Dr. Castellanos, optometrist at Infinite Vision Eye Care, a private practice in Miami Lakes. When she started considering where to invest her money, the decision came down to what would have the most impact on her life:

“As I was practicing so many hours, so many locations, I started getting tired – tired of standing, tired of extending my arms — and I went ahead and instead of buying a nicer car, I invested in myself and in my practice by buying the digital Huvitz phoropter.”

This is a decision that many doctors face. When your practice and your patients make up such a large part of your life, investing in technology that positively impacts your practice can have an even larger impact on your quality of life.

So, what benefits did the HDR have in Dr. Castellanos’ practice that had her saying, “I’ll never go back to a manual phoropter”? Here are a just a few:

Dr. Castellanos was quick to point out that one of the reasons she’d used a manual phoropter for so long was that, well, she’d learned with one. “Before, we were using a manual phoropter, and I loved it because that’s what we had in school, and that’s what we’re taught with.”

Aside from saving her from long-term physical strain, the fact that she can operate the device from a safer, more comfortable position across the room makes everything easier and faster. Dr. Castellanos explained, “it’s a lot faster. The patients walk in, it looks nice, you’re also examining them visually on a computer screen, as opposed to something that’s manual.”

And these benefits aren’t just limited to the ease of operating the device. With a manual phoropter, data transfer and record-keeping are manual as well, often having to be entered into a patient’s medical record by office staff. The HDR improved this for Dr. Castellanos’ practice from day one: “It makes it smoother and quicker. We really don’t write anything down anymore, and it’s great for data transfer. A lot of the EMRs integrate with it too.”

Dr. Castellanos said that one of the things she didn’t expect about investing in a HDR digital phoropter was the positive reaction of her patients, especially her geriatric patients: “I probably get the best results with older patients. They really like all the tests, and they can really see fine details there because it allows them to fine-tune their prescriptions.”

It really comes from a place of care for Dr. Castellanos. She spends so much time with her practice and with her patients, that it made so much sense to invest in technology that would make her life — and her patients’ lives — as easy as possible.

“I just think that our practices are where we live more than our houses, and you should have the best products for yourself and your patients,” she told us. “This phoropter offers that. Not only is there a ‘Wow!’ factor, there’s the ease on your body and the best care for your patients and yourself.”

When you look into making purchases for your practice, it’s an investment. It’s something you expect to use for a long time. Dr. Castellanos took a good, long look at what her colleagues were doing, and noticed several had begun adopting digital phoropters.

She did her due diligence in choosing the specific product: “I probably looked at five different brands,” she told us, noted the price of the device, which is lower than competing products was a deciding factor in her decision. “It came down to the cost, the look, and the quality. [The Huvitz HDR] has a clean, sleek look.”

And, she said the day she made the purchase, she never questioned her decision: “It was one of the best things I ever did. It was so much easier, so much better, at the end of the day I wasn’t so tired. It’s so funny, when your profession is so important to you and you realize how many hours you spend, I thought it was a better investment than spending it on my car.”