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.

🎙️ In today’s episode, Roya and Sheila explore some exciting innovations in ocular surface care! 👁️✨ They kick things off with the newly FDA-approved Prednisolone Acetate Suspension🧴 and personalized serum eye drops from Ocubio. 

Then, are thrilled to welcome Dr. Pooja Alloju—a rising star in anterior segment disease and specialty contact lenses! 🌟 With her background in applied mathematics 📊 and a residency focused on cornea and contact lenses , Dr. Alloju brings precision, passion, and practical wisdom to the table.

Tune in as we discuss hot topics like:
💧 Are artificial tears really tears?
🔬 When to switch from OTC to autologous serum drops
🤝 Tips for collaborating with corneal specialists
🩺 Knowing when to refer for cataract surgery, corneal crosslinking, or scleral lenses

Whether you’re managing dry eye or enhancing your referral skills, this episode is packed with insights—and a reminder that sometimes, the best medicine is collaboration! 💡🤝

Got ideas or guest suggestions? Reach out at [email protected]! 📧

SOURCES

Blog from Optometry School with Dr. Pooja Alloju

Eye Health Texas on TikTok

Scleral Lens Education Society: Management of non-KCN Cases

Pooja linkedin

Shashi linkedin

Glance: Amneal

Glance: the Qualified Autologous Serum Eye Drops (qASED)

Try Not to Blink Podcast  is powered by Valley Contax

Welcome to Try Not 2 Blink — your go-to podcast for all things vision care! 

This week, Roya and Sheila are bringing you an episode packed with insights:

🔹 Breaking news on the latest in daily disposables — yes, a new *daily multifocal toric lens* is here! We’re breaking down what it means for you.  

🔹 A compelling clinical case on how scleral lenses can transform lives—especially for patients with ALS and limited mobility. Because sometimes, vision care is so much more than 20/20!  

🎧✨Plus, their guest this week is Dr. Tiffany Park, current cornea and contact lens resident at SCCO. She shares what residency life is really like, the advice she’d give her pre-residency self, and whether she thinks the residency path is actually worth it. We also explore her master's research on keratoconus and its impact on quality of life, and the insights that changed how she thinks about patient care.

💡We wrap with her Scleral Lens Pearl of the Day—a smart one about lens nomenclature—and go deeper into chair-time tips, fitting tricks, and success strategies for specialty lens wearers.

Whether you're a student, new grad, or industry veteran, this episode is loaded with practical advice to elevate your dry eye and scleral lens skills.  

Got ideas or guest suggestions? Reach out at [email protected]! 

SOURCES

Tiffany Park | Marshall B. Ketchum University

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyjpark?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Word of Wisdom From Corneal and Contact Lens Residents — We make lenses.

GP Lens Institute on Instagram: "Dr. Tiffany Park was one of our 2025 GPLI Alumni and Friends Award winners, and this is her wonderful video submission, highlighting her residency at SCCO and experience at the GPLI Cornea and Contact Lens Resident Symposium. Her video, poster, and abstract submissions scored very high, and we are so lucky to have great residents like her making the future of specialty contact lenses very bright!"

CLEK Study

SeaGreen 

LensBase 

EZI suction-less ring applicator

Try Not to Blink Podcast  is powered by Valley Contax

🎙️ Welcome to Try Not 2 Blink! 👀 Don’t miss a minute of today’s show! 🚀

Today, we kick things off with a quick dive into the new TFOS DEWS III report — what’s coming, what’s changed, and what it means for dry eye care. 📝✨

Then, hosts Roya and Sheila sit down with Dr. Radhika Chawla, a Behavioral Optometrist and founder of Richmond Hill Optometric Clinic. With 13+ years of experience, she shares how she combines dry eye, scleral lenses, vision therapy, and myopia management—all under one roof! 🏥 And why kids are at the heart of her practice. 💖👶

They’ll cover:
• 🤝 How scleral lenses and dry eye go hand-in-hand, along with BV and myopia management  
• 🧪 Must-do tests for every patient  
• 🗣️ Should you treat your own family?  
• 💬 Tips on helping every patient feel heard  

Whether you're a student 🎓, new grad, or seasoned pro 🧑‍⚕️, this episode is packed with actionable tips to elevate your dry eye and scleral lens skills! 🚀

Tune in now! 🎧 Got ideas for future episodes or guests? Reach out at **[email protected]**! ✉️

SOURCES

Dr. Radhika Chawla: LinkedIn

Dr. Radhika Chawla: Richmond Hill Optometric Clinic

Dr. Radhika Chawla: Review of Myopia Management

Richmond Hill Instagram

Try Not to Blink Podcast  is powered by Valley Contax

🔥 Welcome to Try Not 2 Blink! Don’t miss a second of today’s episode! 🎧✨

🎯 Kickoff with Clinical Pearls:  
We’re reviewing an insightful article by Dr. Langis Michaud filled with practical tips to elevate your scleral lens practice. Whether you're a seasoned expert or just starting out, these insights are a must-hear! 💡

🌟 Special Guest Return: Dr. Ariel Cerenzie!  
Owner of the Charlotte Contact Lens Institute and now, the Raleigh location! She’s back by popular demand with an exciting update on running a growing specialty practice. 🚀

💬 What We Cover in This Episode:  

• Expanding Your Practice: Tips on opening a second location & landing that dream job! 🏢✨  

• Troubleshooting Scleral Lenses: How Dr. Cerenzie chooses diameters & manages challenging cases like symblepharons 🔍  

• Streamlining with AI: Using AI scribes to improve documentation efficiency 📝

• Innovative Business Models: Ditching insurance & launching an in-house membership plan 💳  

• Mentorship & Residency: Building your own training program through mentorship and consultants 🎓🤝

🔑 Whether you're a student, new grad, or seasoned professional, this episode is packed with actionable tips to boost your dry eye and scleral lens expertise! 💥👁️

🎙️ Got ideas for future episodes or guests? Reach out at [email protected]! 📬✨

Stay tuned, stay inspired, and keep those eyes healthy! 👀🔥

SOURCES

Dr. Ariel Cerenzie: Charlotte Contact Lens Institute

Dr. Ariel Cerenzie: LinkedIn

HelloRache

Commure Scribe

Firefly

Helcim

Langis Michaud Scleral Lens Game Plans Spectrum Article

Try Not to Blink Podcast  is powered by Valley Contax

🎧 Welcome to **Try Not 2 Blink!** Don’t miss a minute of today’s episode! 🚀

✨ Here’s what’s coming up: 

**Fresh Drop!** 🚨 Discover **TRYPTYR** (pronounced trip-tear) — the FDA-approved dry eye treatment targeting cold-sensing receptors in your cornea and eyelid. Not minty eyedrops, but a potential game-changer for boosting tear production! 💧💥 

**Exclusive Interview!** 🎙️ Sit down with **Dr. Stephanie Pisano**, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology & Vision Science at The Ohio State University. She’s revolutionizing ophthalmic care with AI-assisted charting and scleral lens assessments. 🤖👁️ 

**Life in Academia & Patient Care** 🏫❤️ Dive into Dr. Pisano’s experience balancing research, patient care, and her innovative 4-day workweek! Plus, insights on keratoconus, mental health, and her passion for treating ocular graft-versus-host disease. 🌟 

**Scleral Lens Tips** 🦸‍♀️💡 Get a must-know pearl that’ll change how you approach care for this unique patient group! 

Whether you’re a student, new grad, or seasoned pro, this episode is packed with tips to elevate your dry eye management! 

🎙️ Tune in now and if you have ideas for future topics or guests, reach out at **[email protected]**! 

SOURCES

Tryptyr

Dr Stephanie Pisano: LinkedIn

Dr Stephanie Pisano: Instagram

Dr Stephanie Pisano: OSU

Dry Eye Dx and Tx

Microsoft copilot

Dax ai

Prevent blindness

Try Not to Blink Podcast  is powered by Valley Contax

🎙️ Welcome to **Try Not 2 Blink!** Don't miss a second of today's episode! Here's what you can expect:  

- 🚀 Exploring the future of vision with a fascinating look at **infrared contact lenses** promising **"super vision"**—are they the next big thing? 

 
- 👁️ Diving into **dry eye treatment** strategies with the expert herself, **t**—optometrist, dry eye guru, educator, and social media sensation! 

 
- 💡 Get real-world advice on:
  - Transitioning from residency to practice  
  - Treating dry eye and glaucoma (hint: **more is more**)  
  - Why sticking to the **dry eye algorithm** works 

 
- 🏥 A peek into a week at **Clear Eyes + Aesthetics**, including how she leverages **social media** for education  

- ✨ Discover the **unexpected magic** of using a **virtual scribe** in modern practice  

Whether you're a **student, new grad, or seasoned professional**, this episode offers **valuable insights to elevate your dry eye game**.  

🎧 Tune in now, and if you have ideas for future topics or guests, reach out at **[email protected]**!

SOURCES

Dr. Seitz: Instagram

Dr. Seitz: LinkedIn

Dr Seitz LinkTree

Clear Eyes

Art epstein dry eye questions

Sleep Tite Sleep Rite

Probing Study

DMST study

HelloRache

CSI AI Software

Try Not to Blink Podcast  is powered by Valley Contax

Join hosts Roya and Sheila on this exciting episode of TN2B as they dive into two hot topics in eye care:

🔹 **Glasses-Free Treatment for Keratoconus:** 
Is refractive surgery ever a good idea for patients with corneal ectasia? We’re breaking down the pros, cons, and controversial questions.

🔹 **Daily Disposables in Contact Lenses:** 
Are they truly the gold standard? We’ll explore the ocular health benefits, cost vs. value, and whether they solve non-compliance issues—plus, some creative ways to incorporate them into your practice, from refractive tweaks to ocular surface hacks.

Whether you're mentoring or riding the wave of change, this episode is a must-listen! 🎙️

💡 Have ideas for future topics or guests? Drop us a line at [email protected]!

SOURCES

Article: Refractive Surgery in the Setting of Keratoconus

Article: Progress of corneal collagen cross-linking combined with refractive surgery

Article: Merging Photorefractive Keratectomy and Collagen Crosslinking: An Analysis of Literature and a Guide to Prevalent Protocols

EASE

Multifocal vs. Monovision Performance

Contact lens-related complications

Evaluation of the Ocular Surface in Different CTL Replacement Schedules

3-year Dailies compared with Frequent Replacment Lenses

Review of CTL Dropout

Try Not to Blink Podcast  is powered by Valley Contax

🚨 Don’t miss this week on Try Not 2 Blink! 🚨

🎧 Host Roya and Sheila explore how optometry education is evolving with innovations like gamification and virtual patients — shaping the future of eye care!

🌟 Special guest: Nyah Miranda, a trailblazing third-year NECO student, varsity athlete, and social media pro! She shares her journey from optometry family roots to becoming an AOSA Trustee and CHAOS Co-President.

💡 Tune in for Nyah’s top NBEO tips, insights on connecting with Gen Z patients, and why social media is a powerful marketing tool for future ODs.

Whether you're mentoring or riding the wave of change, this episode is a must-listen! 🎙️

Got ideas for future topics or guests? Drop us a line at [email protected]!

SOURCES

Nyah Miranda: LinkedIn

Nyah Miranda: Instagram

2020 Podcast

KMK

Try Not to Blink Podcast  is powered by Valley Contax

🚨 New Episode Alert! 🚨

Join us on *Try Not 2 Blink* with hosts Dr. Roya Habibi and Dr. Sheila Morrison for an episode packed with insights you can't afford to miss! 🎧✨

This week, we tackle tough questions like: How do you handle a parent who disagrees with your treatment plan? Plus, Sheila shares an exciting Arvo teaser update! 🔥

But that's not all—we're thrilled to welcome special guest Dr. Anthony Mac! From primary care to mastering dry eye and scleral lenses, Dr. Mac shares expert pearls on tricky lids, tinted lenses for eye abnormalities, and strategies to optimize fits with lid anatomy in mind. 👁️

Whether you're a student, new grad, or a scleral lens enthusiast, this episode is a must-listen! 💡

Tune in for tips, tricks, and real-world advice to elevate your eye care game! 🎙️

Got topics or guests you'd love to hear? Drop us a line at [email protected] and help us shape future episodes!

SOURCES

The Influence of Myopia Progression in Children on the Risk of Retinal Detachment: A Comprehensive Outcomes Analysis

Prevalence of Peripheral Retinal Lesions in Highly Myopic Children

Long-term retinal findings in the Bifocal Lenses in Nearsighted Kids (BLINK) Study

Dr. Anthony Mac: LinkedIn

Dr. Anthony Mac: The Contact Lens Institute of San Antonio at Alamo Eye Care

Dr. Anthony Mac Instagram: @‌scleraldocanthony

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