Practice management software for independent opticians

Optician practice management software runs the appointment book, patient records, questionnaires, clinical notes, prescribing and payments for an optical practice. Dataforge provides these in one system for independent and private opticians.

An independent optician needs an appointment book patients can use online, separate diaries for optometrists and opticians, a patient record that holds history, notes and letters, and a straightforward way to take payment. Optometrists with an independent prescribing qualification also need to issue prescriptions. Dataforge brings all of this into a single system.

Yes. Dataforge is designed for independent and private optical practices, from a single optometrist to a group with several practices, and is set up around the appointment types each practice offers.

Yes. A practice that also provides NHS sight tests runs its private eye care in Dataforge and continues to submit GOS claims through its existing process.

Yes. Patients book an eye examination on the practice website day or night, selecting the appointment type, the optometrist and a convenient time. Contact lens fittings, aftercare and dry eye appointments can be offered in the same way.

Yes. Each member of the clinical team has a diary set to their working pattern and the appointment types they cover, and the practice sees every diary together.

Yes. Each appointment type has its own duration, so a full eye examination, a contact lens aftercare check and a dry eye assessment are each booked for the time they need.

Yes. Patients can pay online as they book their eye examination, or pay at the practice on the day of their appointment.

Yes. Dataforge confirms each booking by email and reminds the patient before the appointment, which reduces the number of missed eye examinations.

Yes. Video appointments suit reviews that do not need equipment in the consulting room, such as a dry eye follow-up or a discussion of symptoms before deciding whether the patient needs to come in.

Before an eye examination, the optometrist needs to know the reason for the visit, any symptoms, general health and current medicines, any family history of eye conditions such as glaucoma, and whether the patient drives, works at a screen or wears contact lenses. Dataforge asks these questions when the patient books and saves the answers to their record.

Each optometrist or optician writes their notes on the patient record and signs them with their professional registration. Notes are listed by date, so the full history is in one place at every visit.

Yes. Referral letters to a GP or hospital eye service, correspondence and other documents are uploaded to the patient record, so they are found with the patient rather than in a shared drive.

Yes. An optometrist with an independent prescribing qualification writes the prescription on the patient record under their own login, and it reaches the patient electronically.

Patients can take an e-prescription issued in Dataforge to any pharmacy in the UK, so they can collect their eye drops or other treatment wherever is most convenient.

Yes. Dataforge has been built in line with DCB0129, which governs how health software manufacturers manage clinical risk, and patient data is held under UK GDPR. A Data Processing Agreement forms part of every contract.

Sync Dynamics sets up the appointment types, team diaries and questionnaires for your practice and shows your staff how to use the system before online booking goes live.

Opticians pay a monthly fee for each module they use. The quote depends on the number of practices and clinicians and is provided during the demo.