Terms of service

Effective 26 October 2026 · Last updated 26 October 2026

1. The agreement
2. The service
3. Accounts and access
4. Practice responsibilities
5. Your data
6. Google Calendar
7. Other third-party services
8. Acceptable use
9. Fees
10. Availability and support
11. Intellectual property
12. Liability
13. Ending the service
14. General
15. Contact

1. The agreement

These terms are an agreement between [LEGAL ENTITY NAME] (registration number [REGISTRATION NUMBER]), trading as Optometrics ("we", "us"), and the optometry practice that signs up ("the practice", "you"). By creating an account or using Optometrics, you accept these terms on behalf of the practice and confirm that you are authorised to do so. Staff who use Optometrics through a practice's account must also follow these terms.

Our privacy policy forms part of these terms. If the practice has signed a separate service or pilot agreement with us, that agreement takes priority where it differs from these terms.

2. The service

Optometrics is cloud-based practice management software for optometry practices. It includes a diary, patient files, examinations and prescriptions, quotes, invoicing, medical-aid claims, recalls and reminders, and optional connections to other services such as Google Calendar. We may improve or change features over time. We will not remove a core feature you rely on without reasonable notice.

3. Accounts and access

• The practice decides who gets an account and what role each person has, and removes access when someone leaves.
• Each person must use their own sign-in and keep it secret. Shared logins are not allowed, because the audit log must show who did what.
• Tell us straight away at support@optometrics.co.za if you suspect an account has been compromised.

4. Practice responsibilities

• Lawful processing. The practice is the responsible party under POPIA for its patients' information. It must have a lawful basis for capturing it, give patients the required notices, and get consent where needed (for example, for appointment reminders, or for minors).
• Clinical and professional judgement. Optometrics records and organises information. It does not give clinical advice. Diagnoses, prescriptions, treatment and referrals remain the responsibility of the practitioner, in line with HPCSA rules.
• Billing and claims. The practice is responsible for the accuracy of what it bills and claims, including tariff and diagnosis codes, and for its dealings with medical schemes and patients.
• Accurate information. The practice is responsible for the accuracy of the information it enters.

5. Your data

• The practice owns all patient and practice data it puts into Optometrics. We claim no ownership of it.
• We process patient data only as the practice's operator under POPIA, only to provide the service, and only as described in our privacy policy. These terms, together with the privacy policy, are the written operator agreement POPIA section 21 requires.
• We keep the data confidential, protect it with appropriate security measures, keep it in South Africa except as the privacy policy describes, and tell the practice without undue delay if we become aware of a security compromise affecting it.
• The practice can export its data at any time in a standard, readable format.
• We may use anonymised statistics that cannot identify any patient, practice or person (for example, how many appointments the system handles) to run and improve Optometrics.

6. Google Calendar

• Connecting Google Calendar is optional. A practice owner or administrator connects it by signing in with the Google account whose calendar should mirror a diary, and must have permission to use that account for this purpose.
• Once connected, Optometrics creates, updates and deletes appointment events in that calendar, and reads its events to keep the diary in step. Event details are limited to the patient's first name, surname initial, appointment type, time and a link back to Optometrics.
• The practice remains responsible for who has access to the connected Google account, because anyone with access to that calendar can see these events.
• The practice can disconnect at any time under Settings → Google Calendar, or from the Google account's security settings. Disconnecting stops the sync and deletes our stored access straight away. Events already in Google stay there until deleted in Google.
• Use of Google services is also governed by Google's own terms. Our handling of data received from Google follows the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements, as explained in our privacy policy.

7. Other third-party services

Some features depend on services run by others, such as medical-aid claims switches, medical schemes, email and SMS providers. We are not responsible for their availability, decisions or charges (for example, a scheme's decision to reject a claim). Where their terms apply to the practice, the practice must follow them.

8. Acceptable use

You must not:

• use Optometrics for anything unlawful, or to store information you have no right to hold
• try to access another practice's data, or parts of the system you are not authorised to use
• probe, scan or test the system's security without our written permission, or interfere with its operation
• copy, resell or reverse-engineer the software, except where the law allows it
• upload malware, or use automated tools to overload the service

We may suspend an account that breaks these rules or puts other practices' data at risk. Where possible, we will tell you first and give you a chance to fix the problem.

9. Fees

Fees, billing periods and any setup or data-migration charges are set out in the practice's quote or service agreement. Fees are payable in South African rand, and are subject to VAT where applicable. We will give at least 30 days' notice of any price change. If an account is more than 30 days overdue, we may limit it to read-only access until it is settled, but we will never withhold a practice's data export because of a fee dispute.

10. Availability and support

We aim to keep Optometrics available at all times, apart from scheduled maintenance, which we try to do outside practice hours with notice. We back up data continuously and test restores regularly. We cannot promise uninterrupted service, because it also depends on internet connections and third-party providers. Support is available by email at support@optometrics.co.za during business hours.

11. Intellectual property

We own the Optometrics software, design and brand. We give the practice a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the service for its own practice while its account is active. Any suggestions you send us may be used to improve the service, without obligation to you.

12. Liability

• Nothing in these terms limits any right the practice has under the Consumer Protection Act, 2008, or limits liability that cannot be limited by law, including liability for gross negligence or wilful misconduct.
• Subject to that, we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, such as lost profits or lost business, and our total liability in any 12-month period is limited to the fees the practice paid us in that period.
• We are not liable for losses caused by the practice's own decisions or data entry, by someone using a practice user's credentials, or by third-party services outside our control.

13. Ending the service

• The practice can stop using Optometrics with the notice period in its agreement, or 30 days' written notice if none is set.
• We can end the service with 90 days' notice, or sooner if the practice materially breaks these terms and does not fix the breach within 14 days of being asked.
• When the service ends, we give the practice a full export of its data. Unless the law requires otherwise, we delete the data from live systems within 90 days, and from backups as they expire.

14. General

• Changes. We may update these terms. We will email practices at least 30 days before a significant change takes effect. Continuing to use Optometrics after that means you accept the change.
• Law. These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, and South African courts have jurisdiction.
• Disputes. We will first try to resolve any dispute through good-faith discussion between senior people on both sides.
• Notices. We send notices to the practice owner's email address. The practice can send notices to legal@optometrics.co.za.
• Whole agreement. These terms, the privacy policy and any signed agreement with the practice are the whole agreement. If any part is found unenforceable, the rest still applies.

15. Contact

[LEGAL ENTITY NAME], trading as Optometrics
[PHYSICAL ADDRESS], South Africa
Email: support@optometrics.co.za