Optical store software that remembers every prescription
Eye test records, frame and lens stock, lens lab orders with promised dates, and polite reminders when a customer is due for a re-test.
Optical store software keeps each customer's prescription history, your frame and lens stock, lens orders sent to the lab with their delivery dates, and re-test reminders. We build it for optical shops whose records sit on paper cards and whose customers return every year or two.
Where the day goes wrong
- 01
Prescriptions on paper cards
Finding last year's power means searching a card box, and a lost card means asking the customer to take another test.
- 02
Lens lab orders by phone
Orders go to the lab by call or WhatsApp with no tracking, so the promised delivery date is a hope rather than a record.
- 03
Frames without barcodes
Hundreds of similar frames by brand, model, colour and size are searched by eye, and stock counts are slow.
- 04
No reason to come back
Customers due for a re-test drift to the shop nearest their workplace, because nobody reminded them.
- 05
Ready orders left uncollected
Finished spectacles wait on a shelf with a balance due, and the follow-up call depends on who remembers.
What we build for you
- 01
Customer and prescription records
Right and left eye values, addition, PD and notes, with every past prescription kept in date order.
- 02
Eye test appointments
Booking slots for tests, a daily list for the optometrist and an arrival queue at the counter.
- 03
Frame and lens stock
Frames by brand, model, colour and size with barcode labels, plus stock lenses by power and type.
- 04
Lens lab order register
Lens type, coating, lab, promised date and status for every order, with overdue jobs highlighted.
- 05
Billing with advance and balance
GST invoices with advance and balance, and a call list of ready orders with dues.
- 06
Re-test and reorder reminders
WhatsApp reminders when a re-test is due or a contact lens supply is running out.
- 07
Store reports
Frames sold by brand, lab turnaround and balances due, by store.
The prescription card is the asset
An optical shop's real inventory is not frames. It is the customer's prescription history. A customer who buys spectacles from you this year will usually need new ones in a year or two, and the shop that holds their last prescription, their frame preference and their lens type has a head start over every other shop. Yet in many stores that history is a handwritten card in a box, filed under a name that may have been spelt three ways.
What a good prescription record holds
A prescription record is more than two numbers. It holds sphere, cylinder and axis for each eye, the near addition for progressive or bifocal lenses, pupillary distance, the optometrist who recorded it, the date, and any notes on comfort or usage. We store each test as a dated entry, so you can see how a child's power has changed over three years, and print the prescription in your own layout.
We record what your optometrist records. The clinical judgement and the responsibility for the prescription stay with them, and the software never suggests a power.
Lens lab orders: where delays hide
Most optical stores send custom lenses to an outside lab. The order goes by phone or WhatsApp, the lab promises a date, and the customer is told the same date. If the lab slips, nobody notices until the customer walks in. We keep a lens order register with the lens type, index, coating, lab and promised date for every job.
Overdue jobs are highlighted each morning, and the customer receives a message when the lenses arrive and the frame has been fitted. Over time the register shows which lab is reliable and which promises more than it delivers.
Frames and counter work
- Frame stock. Brand, model, colour, size and price with barcode labels, so a counter sale is a scan rather than a search. Frames held on approval from a supplier are tracked separately.
- Billing. GST invoices with advance and balance, and a list of ready orders with dues for the follow-up call.
- Eye test slots. A booking list for the optometrist's day, replacing the paper diary.
- Contact lenses. The brand, power and pack size supplied, with a reminder when the supply is due to run out.
Bringing customers back
The reminder is where the system earns its keep. A polite WhatsApp message to customers who have agreed to receive it, saying their last test was a year ago and offering a slot, is cheap to send and reaches people while their old spectacles still work. Children are a special case, since their power tends to change faster, so you can set shorter reminder intervals for them.
A prescription history is personal data. The counter, the optometrist and the owner each see different things, and our glossary entry on the DPDP Act is a fair starting point before you speak to your adviser.
Starting small
A store system with prescriptions, stock, lens orders and billing typically starts around ₹50,000 and, for a single store, usually sits within the ₹50,000 to ₹1,50,000 range of a single-purpose tool. A multi-store chain needs the larger management-system range. A store website with your location, brands and a way to enquire is VS Tech Builders' Basic plan at ₹13,999, delivered in seven days.
If you see only a handful of customers a day, a good spreadsheet and WhatsApp reminders might be enough. Clinics that treat patients have a similar records problem, and dental clinics shows how appointments and records fit together, while pharmacies covers a neighbouring retail trade. See POS retail software for the billing engine. We would start with prescriptions and lens orders, since those two protect the repeat customer.
Frequently asked questions
Can it keep prescriptions for years and show how they changed?
Yes. Each test is stored as a dated entry under the customer, so the full history is visible with the latest on top. For children you can see the change over several years at a glance. Records stay for as long as you keep them, and access is limited by role, so counter staff can see what they need without being able to edit a prescription.
How do we track lens orders sent to different labs?
Each order records the lab, lens type, coating and promised date. Overdue orders are highlighted every morning, and you can filter by lab to see which ones are slow. When the lenses arrive the status changes and the customer can be messaged. We do not connect to the labs' own systems unless a lab offers an interface, which we would scope separately.
Will it send eye test reminders automatically?
Yes, through WhatsApp, to customers who have agreed to receive messages. You choose the interval, such as twelve months for adults and six for children, and the wording. A reminder goes out a week or two before the due date. Delivery costs come from the WhatsApp provider and appear in our quotation.
Is customer prescription data kept safe?
Each person signs in with their own login and sees only the screens that suit their job, and the system logs who opened or edited a prescription. Data is encrypted in transit and backed up. Because prescriptions are personal data, check your DPDP Act duties with an adviser. The software stores what the optometrist writes and gives no clinical advice.
Further reading
Software built for optical stores.
Describe your business and the problem in a few lines. We reply within one business day with an honest recommendation, a scope and a fixed price.