Dr. Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. is a Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine. His lab focuses on neural regeneration, neuroplasticity, and brain states such as stress, focus, fear, and optimal performance.
Get a sneak peek of Andrew Huberman’s AMA #6. In this special episode, Huberman answers questions related to eye health, the reason we yawn, increasing motivation, and more. Note, this is only a preview. The full episode is only available to premium subscribers.
Host: Andrew Huberman (@hubermanlab)
View things close up (a few inches to 2 feet away) and far away (4-8 feet away) throughout the day – we spend a lot of time only looking at things close up (i.e., on our phones)
  • Near-sightedness is increasing at record rates as a result
The length of the eyeball and movement of the lens is influenced by how close or far we view things, especially during the development
  • If you only look at things close up, the image lands too close to the lens and leads to nearsightedness
Studies have shown kids develop myopia if they look at screens too much during development
Tip #1: spend time daily visually scanning at a distance, or walking and not looking at anything in particular – the general rule of thumb: for every hour you spend looking at things 3 ft away or less, get at least an hour per day looking at things further away
Tip #2: time outside per day in sunlight (ideally 2 hours per day) leads to a lower incidence of myopia, particularly in children
  • Time in sunlight doesn’t have to be free of screens or work, just time in sunlight or opening a window to get natural light exposure
Tip #3: check out the smooth pursuit visual tasks or near-far vision exercises to offset or reverse vision loss
Nutrition and supplements for eye health: get enough vitamin A in the purest food form (found in leafy greens, liver, etc.), lutein from food sources (such as eggs) may help protect against age-related macular degeneration
There are people who swear by reducing reliance on corrective lenses and working on eye health exercises to improve vision   
Red light research: exposure to red light (650-720 nm range) early in the day (1-3 minutes) can offset some age-related vision decline