Vision

Shortsightedness (myopia)

Source: Huberman podcast

  • Protocol: Getting outside for two hours a day without sunglasses (on average)

    • Multiple large scale trials have shown this has a significant effect on reducing changes of getting myopia

    • Even if doing other things, reading other things

    • Part of it could be due to fact that you're likely seeing farther away objects

      • But, the effect does seem to be directly related to getting sunlight**, and not just the distance

    • Includes infants

    • Even if there's cloud cover

    • No artificial blue light will replace this / outdoor sunlight

    • Does not include light coming in through windows, windows of car

    • Why?

      • Cells that respond to blue, yellow light are connected to things in the eye. In doing so, they improve the health of the little tiny muscles within the eye that move the lens

      • Probably also involved in bringing growth factors and blood supply to muscles and neurons in the eye responsible for the focusing mechanism within the eye

  • Get sunlight/outdoor light early in the day

  • By looking at things close to our face frequently, we're training the eyes / pupils and their muscles to be used to that (and not used to relaxing and looking at things far away)

    • Does not solve the problem just to look up from screen

    • Need to go to a window, look out at a distance

    • Ideally, open window (window filters out blue light you want - 50x less gets through)

    • "Relax" eyes and look out at the horizon

    • Go into "panoramic vision", let vision expand

  • Protocol: For every 30 minutes of focused work, look up and relax face, jaw, eye muscles (probably 20 seconds at least?)

    • On a separate podcast, he mentions the "45/5 rule", where you get up and relax your gaze for 5 minutes after 45 minutes of focused close vision work

    • Protocol: For every 90 minutes of looking at something up close, 20-30 minutes of "relaxing" eyes, looking at things far away, getting outside

  • If commuting, not looking at phone the whole time

  • Basically, we want to work the muscles in our eye for adjusting to near and far objects

  • Self-generated optic flow

    • Moving where objects are moving past you / your eyes (walking, running, bicycling -- not driving)

Notes

  • What we look at and how we look at it directly relates to mental focus

    • If you can hold visual focus, you can hold mental focus on it

  • Accommodation: Adjustment of the pupils to things that are closer or further away from you, to focus your vision properly

    • Can train this by looking at something up close for a few minutes, moving it a foot or two away and looking at it for 5-30 seconds (similar to recovery from concussion)

    • Protocol: Practice accommodation for a few minutes maybe every other day

  • When you look up / eyelids are up, makes you more alert

    • Look up with head and eyes

    • When eyes down, less alert

    • Positioning phone or computer screen higher can help you stay alert because of this

  • Children that sleep in rooms with night light, more likely to develop myopia

    • Because of blue light exposure, through the eyelids

  • Protocol: To get better at seeing things: spend at least 10 minutes a day viewing things very far away (at least .5-1 mile) (source: Huberman Labs podcast)

    • Also helps you relax

  • Smooth pursuit: Ability to track individual objects smoothly through space

    • Not doing it worsens ability to do it

    • Doing this from a screen doesn't really help

    • i.e. tracking birds, tracking a hockey puck at a game

    • Protocol: 5-10 minutes of Smooth Pursuit practice for 3 days a week

    • Exercises on YouTube

  • You can have a "dominant" eye

  • Cardiovascular health indirectly contributes to healthy vision

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