Blink Collective

🎙️ Episode 5 is LIVE! 🎙️
This week on Blink Collective, hosts McKenzie and Lisa tackle one of the most relatable hot takes in healthcare:
📚 "If your medical history reads like a novel… please bring the book."
From hilarious patient history moments to serious discussions about improving care through better communication, this episode is packed with practical pearls and real-world optometry conversations.
👁️ Highlights include:
✨ An inspiring Valley Contax Vision Project case where custom scleral lenses dramatically improved communication and quality of life for a patient living with ALS.
✨ A deep dive into Plaquenil (Hydroxychloroquine) screening, including the latest AAO recommendations every student, new grad, and practicing OD should know.
✨ Why OCT and FAF are becoming increasingly important in detecting toxicity early.
✨ Clinical pearls on dosing, risk factors, communication with rheumatologists, and protecting vision while supporting systemic health.
Whether you're studying for boards, navigating externships, or already in practice, there's something in this episode for you.
🎧 Listen now and join the conversation!
💬 What's your biggest patient history challenge? Have a memorable Plaquenil case? We'd love to hear from you.
#BlinkCollective #ValleyContax #Optometry #OptometryStudent #NewGradOD #EyeCare #ScleralLenses #Plaquenil #Hydroxychloroquine #Retina #ClinicalPearls #OptometrySchool #ODLife #FutureOD #EyeHealth #ContactLenses #VisionCare #OptometricEducation #BoardPrep #OptometryPodcast #StudentDoctor #OptometryCommunity #BlinkCollectivePodcast

🎙️ Episode 4 of Blink Collective is here — and this one dives deep into what it *really* means to care for patients beyond the eye chart 👁✨

This week, Lisa & McKenzie sit down with Dr. Madison Moss from Raleigh Contact Lens Institute — a residency-trained cornea & contact lens specialist passionate about specialty lenses, myopia management, and patient-centered care.

💬 In this episode:
– Why Dr. Moss chose optometry after a life-changing mission trip to Africa
– The hot take: “20/20 vision is overrated” 👀
– Why “20 happy” matters more than perfect acuity
– The problem with online “express exams” & expired contact lens prescriptions
– Real talk about patient education, compliance, and protecting ocular health
– A fascinating scleral lens case that changed a patient’s quality of life
– Advice for students and young ODs interested in specialty care

One of our favorite reminders from this episode:
📌 Real patients don’t read the textbook.
And that’s exactly what makes this profession so meaningful.

🎧 Tune in now and join the conversation.

#BlinkCollective #OptometryPodcast #FutureOD #OptometryLife #ScleralLenses #CorneaSpecialist #ContactLenses #MyopiaManagement #EyeCare #ODLife #WomenInOptometry #PatientCare #SpecialtyLenses #DryEye #YoungOD #HealthcarePodcast #StudentDoctor

🎙️ Episode 3 is LIVE, and we’ve got our first guest!
From externship realities to confidence in clinic, this episode of Blink Collective dives into what it really feels like to step into the role of a future doctor 👁✨
We’re joined by a third-year student (aka @EyeOnThePrize 👀) who’s balancing externships, content creation, and everything in between — and keeping it real the whole way through.
💬 In this episode:
– The scrubs vs. business casual debate (it gets passionate 😅)
– Why confidence matters just as much as knowledge in clinic
– Real talk about externships: the highs, the doubts, and growth moments
– Advice for students stepping into their 4th year
– A wild clinic case that proves “routine exams” are never routine
Whether you’re a pre-optometry student, in school, or already in clinic, this one’s packed with relatable moments and real insight.
🎧 Tune in now & join the conversation.
#BlinkCollective #OptometryLife #FutureOD #OptometryStudents #ExternshipLife #WomenInOptometry #ODLife #EyeCare #StudentDoctor #ClinicConfessions #ScleralLenses #DryEye #OptometryPodcast #HealthcareStudents #MedStudentLife

Hot takes, real talk, and things we’re actually seeing in clinic 👀
From presbyopia drops to remote optometry… are we evolving—or losing something along the way?
🎙️ Episode 2 is live.
This is what students are really talking about.
Follow, listen, and if you’ve got something to say…
grab the mic 🎤

Watch the full episode on YouTube (@BlinkCollectivePodcast) or TikTok (@blinkcollective).
Listen to Blink Collective on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Blink Collective isn’t just something you listen to.
It’s something you can be part of.

If you’re a student or young OD with something to say, grab the mic.
Visit: blink-collective.com

#BlinkCollective #OptometryStudents #YoungOD

Welcome to the very first episode of Blink Collective, a new podcast platform by Valley Contax designed to spotlight optometry students and early-career ODs.

In this inaugural episode, meet our first hosts, Lisa and MacKenzie, both Fourth Year Optometry Student | Class of 2026 who helped open the door to this new concept and set the tone for what Blink Collective is all about.

They share:
• Who they are and their journeys through optometry school
• What inspired the creation of Blink Collective
• Honest reflections on life as optometry students
• A few pearls they’ve learned along the way
• And how YOU, as a student or young OD can grab the mic

Blink Collective isn’t just a podcast you listen to.
It’s a platform you can be part of.

If you’re an optometry student or early-career OD with something to say, this is your invitation.
🎙️ The mic’s on. You in?

Interested in hosting an episode?
Submit your proposal at: blink-collective.com

Follow Blink Collective for new conversations every month.