The short answer
An AI receptionist for optometrists built on HighLevel Voice AI costs about $0.16 per answered call, or $56 a month for 350 calls averaging 2 minutes, phone line included. Roughly 88 of those calls (25%) would come outside office hours, which is where an AI answering service earns its keep. Emergencies, complaints and anything needing judgment should go to a person.
What the AI should handle
Book eye exams
Collect name, date of birth, vision plan and whether the patient wears contacts, then book a comprehensive exam or a contact lens exam, which may need a longer slot.
Answer vision plan questions
Read the accepted vision and medical plans from the knowledge base and explain that staff verify eligibility before the visit.
Route seller verification calls
Recognize calls from contact lens sellers, take the patient and lens details, and alert staff at once, since the FTC gives prescribers eight business hours to respond before the prescription counts as verified.
Check order status
Read an order stage kept on the contact and tell the caller whether it is at the lab, ready or picked up. If no status is recorded, create a task for the optician.
What to send to a person
- Sudden vision changes, eye pain or injury
- Decisions on contact lens seller verification requests
- Insurance eligibility and billing questions
- Frame adjustments and lens complaints
HighLevel's voice agents can transfer a live call, create a task, or trigger a workflow that texts the owner. Set the handoff rules before the agent goes live.
Cost per call and per month
Assumptions for a typical optometry practice: 350 calls a month answered by the AI, averaging 2 minutes. Phone minutes are billed per call and rounded up, so each call bills 2 phone minutes at $0.01165.
| Setup | AI cost | Phone line | Per month | Per call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay per use, Standard voice, GPT-4.1 Mini | $47.60 | $8.16 | $56 | $0.16 |
| Pay per use, ElevenLabs voice, GPT-4.1 Mini | $61.60 | $8.16 | $70 | $0.20 |
| Pay per use, speech-to-speech (OpenAI) | $140.00 | $8.16 | $148 | $0.42 |
| AI Employee Unlimited, $97 flat | $97.00 | $8.16 | $105 | $0.30 |
The breakdown of every Voice AI charge is in our Voice AI pricing guide. Agencies can price this as a monthly service with the calculator's Price a client tab, preloaded for a optometry practice.
Compared with staff time
Those 350 calls take about 12 hours of talk time a month. At the US median receptionist wage of $18.27 an hour (May 2025, Bureau of Labor Statistics), that talk time alone is worth about $213, before hold time, breaks, benefits and the calls that come in after hours. An AI receptionist does not replace a good front desk; it catches the overflow and the evenings, and frees staff for the people in front of them.
Sample call
AI AGENTThanks for calling Harbor Eye Care. I'm the practice's AI assistant. How can I help?
CALLERHi, I'm calling from an online contact lens retailer to verify a prescription for one of your patients.
AI AGENTThank you. I'll pass this to our staff right away. May I have the patient's name, date of birth and the lenses ordered?
CALLERMaria Lopez, April 12, 1990. A two-week lens, both eyes, quantities on the request we're sending.
AI AGENTAnd where should our response go, fax or email?
CALLERFax is fine. It's on the request.
AI AGENTGot it. I've logged your request with the time of this call and alerted our team. Is there anything else?
CALLERNo, that's all. Thanks.
Prompt tips
- Tip 1Teach the agent to recognize contact lens seller verification calls and give them a separate, urgent path to staff with the call time logged.
- Tip 2Separate comprehensive exams from contact lens fittings in the calendars, and tell the agent to ask about contacts before it books.
- Tip 3Add a rule that callers reporting sudden vision loss, an eye injury or chemical exposure get the emergency wording the optometrists approve and a transfer, never a routine slot.
Rules to watch
Contact Lens Rule verification clock. Under the FTC's Contact Lens Rule, a prescriber has eight business hours to respond to a seller's verification request, which can arrive by phone, including automated calls, fax or email. If nobody responds, the prescription is treated as verified. Route these calls to staff immediately.
Eyeglass Rule prescription release. The FTC's Eyeglass Rule requires prescribers to give patients their eyeglass prescription right after a refractive exam, without being asked, and bars charging extra for it or requiring an eyewear purchase. Practices that sell eyewear must get written confirmation of release. The AI must never suggest otherwise.
HIPAA. Optometry practices that bill insurance electronically are HIPAA covered entities. HighLevel's HIPAA package costs $297 a month and includes a business associate agreement; have a compliance adviser review the setup before patient data goes into HighLevel.
General information, not legal advice.
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Questions
Can an AI receptionist handle contact lens verification calls?
What does an AI receptionist cost an optometry practice?
Can the AI tell patients whether their glasses are ready?
Can the AI send patients a copy of their prescription?
Sources
- The Contact Lens Rule: a guide for prescribers and sellers (FTC)
- Complying with the Eyeglass Rule (FTC)
- Covered Entities and Business Associates (HHS)
- HIPAA compliance with HighLevel (help center)
- HighLevel pricing page
- HighLevel AI product pricing (help center)
- HighLevel Phone System pricing and billing guide
- HighLevel AI product pricing (help center)
- AI Voice Agents overview
- HighLevel Phone System pricing and billing guide
- BLS Occupational Outlook: Receptionists (May 2025 pay)