Business phone system for optometry practices

Optometry practices in the United States

County Business Patterns counted 22,501 optometry practices in the U.S. in 2023 (NAICS 621320, Offices of Optometrists). They employed 147,931 people in mid-March and paid $7.2 billion in annual payroll. The average establishment has 6.6 employees. That is 6.6 establishments for every 100,000 residents.

California has the most (2,757), followed by Texas (2,113), Florida (1,541), and New York (941). Relative to population, South Dakota leads with 12.4 per 100,000 residents, and District of Columbia has the fewest at 3.4.

Why the phone matters for optometry practices

Eye-care offices combine exam scheduling with eyewear and contact-lens orders, so callers want both appointments and order status. Calls about broken glasses or eye irritation also need to reach someone quickly.

Calls optometry practices commonly handle:

• A patient calls to check whether new glasses are ready for pickup.
• A parent calls to book a child's eye exam before the school year.
• A patient calls to reorder contact lenses.
• Someone calls about sudden eye irritation and asks whether to come in.
• The office calls patients when an order arrives.

Texting and after-hours calls

Optometry offices text patients when an eyewear or contact lens order is ready for pickup, along with appointment reminders.

After-hours messages are typically order questions or appointment requests that can be returned the next business day.

Practices that handle protected health information should review their own privacy obligations before recording calls, enabling AI summaries or texting appointment details, and keep clinical conversations out of text messages unless their policies allow it.

How big optometry practices are

47.9% of U.S. optometry practices with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023. 80.1% had fewer than ten. Most phone decisions in this industry are made for small teams, where one shared number and sensible routing matter more than a desk phone per person.

Optometry practices by state

Establishment counts for the 51 states (and DC) where Census published a figure, with the rate per 100,000 residents.

Largest metro areas for optometry practices

Census published optometry practice counts for 734 metro and micropolitan areas. The 25 largest:

Phone system pricing for a 7-person optometry practice

The average U.S. optometry practice has 6.6 employees, so the comparison uses a 7-person team. On a per-user plan that headcount sets the bill: $174.65 a month on Ooma Office Pro or $210.00 on RingCentral RingEX Core at list price (checked September 28, 2026). Callata comes to $139.00 a month for 7 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $852 less than RingCentral for an optometry practice in the U.S. of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

How Callata works for optometry practices

Callata is a business phone system priced at $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user. Callata Office includes up to 3 local business numbers, unlimited inbound calling, 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user each month, a browser softphone that can also ring your cell, voicemail with transcription, call recording with AI summaries, business-hours routing and E911 on every number.

Texting from a local number requires carrier registration (10DLC), a one-time $49 fee. Porting an existing number is free.

AI agents are optional: an AI receptionist or scheduler can pick up when the team is busy or closed, take a message, send a text or email, or transfer the call. They draw on prepaid AI minutes ($0.25/minute), disclose that they are AI, and outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am–9pm.