DOTmed Certified Jeff Wheaton Realizes Vision for Used Optical Equipment

by Michael Borden, Staff Writer

The way Jeff Wheaton sees it "used" and "low quality" should never be synonymous in the optical equipment industry. Wheaton, President of Florida-based Visions Systems Inc., is out to erase the distinction between new OEM equipment and the pre-owned optical and ophthalmic machines he sells and services.

"When I started this business I consciously set out to erase the misconception that used optical equipment had to be sub-par when it came to quality," says the visionary behind what is now the largest supplier of pre-owned patternless edgers in the industry. "From day one we started focusing on quality. The question was how could we provide eye care professionals pre-owned equipment that was indistinguishable from new OEM equipment." Part of the answer included amassing a vast amount of technical expertise, doing constant research and putting together a staff with more than a century of accumulated experience in the industry. "The machines we supply aren't just 'refurbished.' They're as good as new."

His customers must agree. Vision Systems, also known as VSI, sells upward of 200 patternless edgers (the machines that grind lenses) per year, which amounts to four or five a week. "That's a substantial number," says Wheaton "when you consider that OEMs only sell 150-300 a year."

Wheaton has never been afraid to buy and stock inventory. "We have an essentially unlimited supply of parts and hundreds of edgers in stock." That's a sight for sore eyes for eye care professionals everywhere looking for pre-owned equipment they never have to worry about.

Testimonials

My edger broke down and I couldnt find anyone to help me without paying a huge fee just to diagnose the problem. So I called Jeff (VSI), although I didn't purchase the edger from VSI, he gave me instructions to determine the problem over the phone. His technician even e-mailed me diagrams of the machine to help me navigate the internal structures of the edger. If VSI gave me that type of customer service before I became a customer, I just imagined it would only get better after becoming a customer. Needless to say I purchased my newest edger from VSI and the customer service continues to be outstanding.

I thank you and Vision Systems, Inc. for your gracious support of the Double Harvest Ministry in Haiti. The equipment you have supplied, including the slit lamp, keratometer, intraocular pressure measuring tools, indirect ophthalmoscope, direct ophthalmoscope, and Finoff light have allowed us to work up patients for cataract surgery in the surgical eye clinic in Haiti.

Before Russ Montgomery came to the clinic, there was no instrumentation to measure the visual deficit or diagnose the diseases that needed surgery. The equipment you have shared has allowed us to thoroughly examine hundreds of patients who have been blind for years. The additional provision of surgery to these patients has changed their lives. We routinely have removed difficult cataracts and placed precise intraocular lenses into their eyes to allow prompt return of vision, literally the next day.

Since the average salary in Haiti is only about $1.00 per day, none of the patients could afford any eye care, or medications. The equipment you have provided has changed many lives, allowed men to return to work, read, see their families for the first time in years, and walk without danger. I hope that the people who work for and support Vision Systems will appreciate the value of recovery from blindness that your equipment has provided.

Words cannot express the joy we all feel when we remove an eye patch after surgery the next day and have the patients dance around the room with glee, at being able to see again.

Today I had the pleasure to meet with Leo Hadley. He gave me the grand tour of Vision Systems Inc. I was in awe as I toured their facility and to see how organized they are with such a huge inventory of ophthalmic equipment for the Optometrists, Ophthalmologists, and lab facilities. If you need parts for your equipment, CALL THEM !!. An amazing array of hundreds and hundreds of parts for your equipment. And if you are having trouble using your equipment, their staff, with over 100 years of experience, will help you out with their excellent tech support. Their refurbishing department is out of this world. When viewing the finished product, you will not be able tell the difference between the new and the used. The equipment is completely refurbished and tested to ensure 100% accuracy and customer satisfaction. In conclusion, continued success to the growth of Vision Systems Inc.