An optical dispensary and an exam lane are two businesses. Most optometry books report them as one.
Optometry runs retail and clinical economics side by side under one roof, and the accounting decision that matters most is whether they are separated. Add vision plan write-offs, frame inventory as working capital, annual supply orders collected up front, and a consolidation market with a wide multiple spread, and the vertical has a distinct set of financial mechanics that a generic setup will not surface.
Looking for how we work with optometry practices rather than the underlying mechanics? Optometry practices →
The guides
The revenue cycle runs on two clocks
Vision plan versus medical billing, materials timing, and the recoverable revenue in coding discipline.
Cash FlowWhy a profitable practice runs short on cash
The frame board as trapped working capital, lab payables, and the fourth-quarter benefit surge.
ProfitabilityOptical capture rate is the highest-leverage number
Category margin, medical mix, and revenue per exam, the four levers that actually move profit.
Deferred RevenueMoney collected before the product ships
Annual supply orders, warranty plans, and in-house vision plans as liabilities rather than income.
Finance RolesWho you actually need, and when
Bookkeeper, controller, or CFO, and the five optometry questions each role can answer.
Growth & Sale ReadinessWhat an optometry practice is worth
2.5x to 4.5x SDE against 6x to 8.5x adjusted EBITDA, and the six things that move you up the range.
The optometry toolkit
The checklists we actually use, what we ask for at intake, and what we check every month. Published in full, downloadable as Word files.
General information for practice owners, not accounting, tax, legal, valuation or investment advice for your situation. MedPraxis CFO is not a CPA firm, a registered investment adviser, or a business broker. Talk to your own CPA, attorney or adviser before acting on anything here.