An optical practice runs on both the clinical and commercial sides at once. Patients need their prescription history on file. Lenses need to be tracked by power and lot number. Frames need inventory management with variants for brand, style and colour. Insurance claims need to be processed separately from cash sales. And the optometrist needs an appointment schedule that connects to the patient record.
Most opticians end up with a clinical records folder, a spreadsheet for stock and a basic POS that doesn't understand any of the above. When something goes wrong — a patient can't remember their prescription, a frame goes out of stock, an insurance claim gets disputed — the information is in too many places to fix it quickly.
What optician software needs to handle
A well-run optical practice needs a system that covers both the clinical and commercial sides of the business:
- Patient records with full prescription history stored against the contact
- Frame inventory with variants: brand, style, size and colour
- Lens inventory by prescription power with lot tracking
- POS for frame and fitting sales at the counter
- Insurance billing via credit accounts for insured patients
- Appointment scheduling linked to patient records
- WhatsApp notification when an order is ready for collection
- Lab outsourcing via purchase orders for specialist lens work
- VAT-compliant invoicing and optometrist payroll
How Vendra handles optical practice operations
Patient records and prescription history
Every patient is a Contact record in Vendra. The prescription — sphere, cylinder, axis, addition and pupillary distance — is recorded in the Notes section of the contact, with each visit dated. When a patient comes back for a new pair of glasses or a check-up, you open their record and see every prescription in chronological order. You can also see their purchase history — which frames they bought, what lenses, when, and what was billed to insurance.
For patients with repeat prescriptions, this history is essential. Dispensing staff can recommend lens upgrades based on the patient's current power. The optometrist can compare previous prescriptions before issuing a new one.
Frame inventory with variants
Frames are managed as products with attribute-based variants. A single frame model can have variants for brand, style, frame size and colour, each with its own barcode, price and stock level. When a patient chooses a frame, the specific variant is selected at the POS. Stock for that exact variant is deducted immediately. You always know exactly how many of each colour and size are on the display and in the stockroom.
Reorder points are set per frame variant so that when a popular style runs low, a draft purchase order is generated automatically to the frame supplier. No manual stock count needed to trigger a reorder — the system alerts you before the shelf is empty.
Lens inventory with lot tracking
Lenses are held in the Inventory module with lot tracking enabled. When a batch of lenses arrives from a supplier, each lot is assigned a prescription power range and recorded against the goods receipt. Stock levels are visible per power combination. When a lens is dispensed for a patient, it is deducted from the correct lot. This makes supplier returns straightforward — if a batch has quality issues, you can identify exactly which patients received lenses from that lot.
Insurance billing via credit accounts
For patients with insurance cover, Vendra splits the transaction. The insurance company is set up as a customer with a credit account. When a covered patient buys frames and lenses, the insured portion is invoiced to the insurer's account and the patient pays only their co-payment at the POS. Both transactions are tracked in the accounting module and the insurance account balance is monitored for outstanding claims.
Prescription history
Each patient is a contact with their prescription history saved under their record. Every visit is dated, so you can see how their prescription has changed over time.
Frame variants
Each frame model has variants for brand, style, size and colour. Every variant has its own barcode, price and stock count. You always know what's in stock and what isn't.
Appointment scheduling
Book appointments in the calendar and link them to patient records. The optometrist sees their day schedule with each patient's history accessible from the appointment itself.
WhatsApp order ready
When the order is ready, send the patient a WhatsApp message directly from Vendra. No manual messaging — it goes from the system to their phone.
Lab outsourcing via PO
Send specialist lens work to an external lab as a purchase order. When the completed lenses come back, receive them against the PO and link them to the patient's sale before collection.
VAT invoicing
All invoices are tax-compliant. VAT calculates automatically per product line and feeds into the VAT summary report when it's time to file.
Appointment scheduling for optometrists
The Calendar module manages the optometrist's appointment schedule. Each appointment is linked to a patient contact. When the patient arrives, the receptionist opens the appointment and can navigate directly to the patient's contact record to pull up their prescription history. After the eye test, the optometrist records the new prescription on the contact record. The entire clinical workflow — booking, consultation, prescription — flows through one connected system.
Optometrist payroll
If the optometrist is an employee rather than a partner, their salary is processed through the Payroll module. The salary structure is configured to include base pay, any consultation-based allowances, and statutory deductions applicable in your country. Payslips are generated monthly, approved by management, and posted to the accounting module. The payroll journal entries are created automatically — no manual bookkeeping at month end.
Which plan do I need?
A single-branch optical practice typically starts on the Pro plan at $27/month, covering patient records, frame and lens inventory, POS, insurance billing, appointments, WhatsApp notifications and payroll. Multi-branch practices with separate inventory at each location need the Pro Plus plan at $50/month for multi-location stock management and consolidated reporting.