As 2019 ended and the new year began, many of us were looking forward to using the “20/20” visual acuity term in our marketing campaigns, creating clarity of “vision” within our organizations, and emphasizing the importance of eye health. Instead, a novel pathogen emerged. Instead of heightened enthusiasm for marketing and running our practices, we lost any semblance of “normal” and experienced a heightened degree of stress. This article provides some research on the trends and challenges experienced throughout the first six months of the pandemic, explores “silver linings,” and raises the question of what a “better normal” might entail. The research comes from a small sample population: eight clinic administrators who responded to a request on ASOA EyeMail for information that would provide insights into the pandemic trends and challenges. Although the sample population was small, the results mirrored other research and trends reported by an EyeNet Magazine publication¹ and what I had observed in coaching conversations with clients. Financial and psychological setbacks, including stress, burnout, and absenteeism, were the unfortunate first-quarter surprises in most private or group ophthalmology practices.