RUFUS review
A locally hosted ophthalmology EMR with refraction, imaging, orthoptics and accounting tools.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
RUFUS is a free, GPLv3 open-source electronic medical-record system for ophthalmologists and orthoptists. Its patient records, reception and waiting-room workflows, ophthalmic refraction forms, and orthoptics module make it relevant to solo practitioners and small clinics managing eye-care visits. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux Ubuntu, and can be configured for single-user or local-network use, with encrypted remote access supported. The emphasis is on locally managed clinical records and documents rather than a broad cloud practice-management suite.
Clinical documentation is its clearest strength. Refraction forms can retrieve instrument data, while imaging documents—including OCT exports—can be imported and stored. RUFUS also generates prescriptions, correspondence, and other documents from templates; its orthoptics module supports binocular-vision assessments. Accounting assistance covers payments, claims, and expenses, and programmable backups and restoration help with local data management. The interface supports French, English, Spanish, and Portuguese variants. These capabilities suit practices that want ophthalmology-specific records and workflows under their own hosting, and can work with a client-server system based on MySQL/MariaDB.
The trade-off is limited workflow automation beyond records and document production. RUFUS has no appointment directory or scheduling, and its prescriptions are documents for printing rather than electronically transmitted prescriptions. It is therefore a stronger fit for clinics prioritizing local control, refraction, imaging, and orthoptics than for those seeking an integrated scheduling or e-prescribing workflow. A practice choosing it should be prepared to handle self-hosting and use separate processes for appointments and prescription transmission.
RUFUS pros and cons
- Where it wins
- GPLv3 open-source software supports local or networked use.
- Refraction forms can retrieve instrument data; imaging imports include OCT exports.
- Orthoptics assessments, document generation and accounting assistance are included.
- Where it doesn't
- No appointment directory or scheduling.
- Prescriptions are generated for printing, not transmitted electronically.
- Self-hosted client-server setup requires local infrastructure.
RUFUS fact sheet, pricing and score →
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