An OCT is how most independent practices differentiate themselves, and it is usually the largest single item in the test room.
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Yes. Optical coherence tomography scanners are routinely funded for independent optometry practices, normally on hire purchase or lease over the useful life of the instrument. They are freestanding, serial numbered, supported by UK dealers and hold reasonable second-hand value, which makes them decent security. The point that catches practices out is that the instrument is only part of the spend: image management software, cloud storage and remote reporting subscriptions are billed annually and cannot be capitalised, and they can add a meaningful amount to the true cost of running the service.
Used kit: Yes — used OCT instruments around five to eight years old are fundable through dealers where the manufacturer still supports the software and can service the unit.
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Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
Optometrists registered with the GOC are treated as professionals and healthcare desks will engage, though optical practice is read as much as retail as it is healthcare, because a large share of income comes from spectacle and contact lens sales rather than clinical fees. That means funders look at the retail side too: footfall, location, and whether the practice is independent or part of a franchise, since franchise agreements can restrict what equipment is bought and from whom. The instruments themselves are good assets, movable and saleable through dealers. NHS sight test income is modest but predictable and reads positively. Applications fail where the practice has recent county court judgments, where a franchisee applies without the franchisor’s consent, or where a new practice has no site and no trading record.
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| Zeiss Cirrus 6000 | Optical coherence tomography imaging system |
| Zeiss Cirrus 500 | Entry imaging system for practices |
| Topcon Maestro2 | Combined imaging and fundus camera unit |
| Topcon DRI OCT Triton | Swept-source imaging system for eye practices |
| Nidek Mirante | Scanning laser ophthalmoscope and imaging unit |
| Nidek Retina Scan Duo 2 | Combined imaging and fundus unit |
| Heidelberg Spectralis | Modular imaging platform for clinics |
| Optos Daytona | Ultra-widefield retinal imaging device |
| Optos Monaco | Widefield imaging device with tomography |
| Huvitz HOCT-1 | Compact imaging unit for practices |
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Independent opticians competing with multiples on clinical depth, practices adding enhanced services or working with local ophthalmology referral pathways, and established practices replacing a first-generation instrument that is no longer supported. Domiciliary and small chain operators standardising instruments across test rooms are a regular enquiry, as are practices buying at the point of a refit. Newly qualified optometrists buying an existing practice are a smaller but regular enquiry.
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Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Usually only with the franchisor’s knowledge and often their consent. Franchise agreements frequently specify approved suppliers and equipment standards, and funders will ask. Applying without addressing it is one of the more common reasons an otherwise sound optical application stalls. A short letter of consent from the franchisor usually resolves it.
Where the licence is perpetual and sold on the same equipment invoice, it can normally be included. Cloud storage, remote reporting and annual support are services and are not capitalised. Ask your dealer to itemise the quote so you know which part of the figure the finance will actually cover. The gap between the two figures is often larger than people expect.
A bit of both, which is worth knowing. GOC registration gives you professional standing, but funders also look at the retail side because dispensing income is a large share of turnover. Strong location and steady sight test volume both support the application. Funders will also look at how much of your turnover comes from dispensing rather than clinical fees.
Some of it, where it is invoiced with the equipment. Consulting room furniture, chairs and stands are equipment; partitioning, flooring and shopfitting are soft costs with limited recovery value, so the funder will carry only a proportion alongside the instruments. Keeping the shopfitting on a separate quote from the instruments makes the split obvious and speeds things up.
Often yes. Practice acquisition and equipment purchase are usually different products with different lenders, and mixing goodwill into an equipment facility rarely works. Tell us about the acquisition anyway, because it affects timing and which funders will look at the equipment side. Completing the purchase first and funding the equipment afterwards is often the cleanest sequence.
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
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