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Episode Description
Heal Thy Self has never done a show on eye health. Until now. And this conversation goes a lot deeper than seeing clearly.
Dr. Bryce Applebaum is a functional neuro optometrist who rewires the connection between the eyes and the brain. Vision is not the same as eyesight. Eyesight is how you focus light. Vision is how your brain tells your eyes to move, converge, track, and make sense of the world. And in 2026, with the average adult spending over seven hours a day on screens, that system is under more stress than it has ever been.
In this episode, you'll discover:
• Why your prescription should not get stronger every year as an adult, and why a worsening prescription is a sign your brain is adapting to stress, not a normal part of aging
• The connection between functional vision problems and ADHD, including why convergence insufficiency and eye turns are diagnosed far more often in kids labeled with ADHD, and how vision training has gotten patients off medication entirely
• Why blue light blocking glasses are not enough, what is actually causing your brain fog and eye fatigue after hours on a screen, and the overnight contact lenses that reshape your cornea while you sleep
Plus the foods that protect your eyes, the foods that accelerate macular degeneration, and why vision belongs at the top of your list if you are dealing with brain fog.
Find Dr. Bryce Applebaum:
• Website: https://myvisionfirst.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drbryceappelbaum/?hl=en
• Online program: https://www.screenfit.com/
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
3:51 - Rapid Fire: Reversing Vision, Best/Worst Foods for Eyes & the "20/Happy" Standard
6:14 - What Makes Functional Optometry Different From a Standard Eye Exam
8:32 - Why Your Prescription Shouldn't Get Worse Every Year (But Does)
10:49 - The Myopia Epidemic: From 25% to 44% of America in One Lifetime
13:00 - How Screens Are Rewiring the Way Our Eyes and Brains Work Together
17:25 - Why Smaller, More Frequent Screens Are Making This Worse
21:16 - Dr. Apple's Own -10.50 Prescription and How He Stabilized It
23:05 - How Eyestrain From Screens Actually Makes Your Eyesight Get Worse
26:49 - Brain Fog, Blur, and Why It Builds Throughout the Day
28:26 - Do Blue Light Blockers Actually Work? The Truth
30:38 - Digital Performance Lenses: A Different Kind of Prescription for Near Work
33:34 - The Flicker Rate: Why Certain Lighting Causes Sensory Overload
38:06 - Can You Actually Reverse Your Eye Prescription? What's Real and What's Hype
42:02 - Is LASIK a Good Idea? An Eye Doctor's Honest Answer
45:22 - Orthokeratology: The Contacts You Wear at Night to Reshape Your Cornea
49:02 - Why Podcast Lighting Leaves You Mentally Exhausted
54:34 - Is It ADHD, or Is It a Vision Problem? The Overlap Is Massive
58:25 - The Best Foods and Supplements for Eye Health (And Why Seed Oils Are the Enemy)
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