Run eye examinations, prescriptions, frames, lenses and lab orders from one patient record.

An optometry practice sells an eye examination and the correction that follows from it. The examination produces a prescription. The dispensing side turns that prescription into spectacles, lenses or contact lenses, and the patient expects one price, one collection date and one person who knows the whole story.

Those two sides often sit in different tools. The clinical record lives in one place and the optical stock in another. Lab orders go by paper or email, so a patient’s path from chair to collection is pieced together by hand.

Walk-ins are common. The front desk books examinations, checks in patients and notes whether a visit is a routine check, a contact lens fitting or a follow up. The optometrist records history, visual acuity, refraction, eye pressure and findings, then writes the prescription and explains the options.

The dispenser helps the patient choose frames and lens types, takes pupil and fitting measurements, explains coatings and thickness, and raises an order for the lab. Lenses are cut at an outside or in-house lab, and the finished pair comes back for fitting and collection. Patients who wear lenses are given a trial pair, a review date and a supply plan.

The practice owner watches stock, supplier accounts, staff schedules and the recall list. It is a lot. Where a patient has insurance or a voucher, the claim paperwork is prepared for them. Each branch keeps its own diary.