How to improve eyesight

If you work on a computer every day, good eyesight is essential. The world-renowned Huberman Lab popular science podcast covered this topic in an episode titled The Science of Vision, Eye Health & Seeing Better.

In less than 2 hours, Stanford neurobiology professor Andrew Huberman presents an amazing overview of the science. He explains how vision works and what each of us can do to improve and maintain it into old age. Among other things, he mentions these principles and protocols:

• The eyes benefit greatly from 2 hours a day outdoors in daylight. 90 minutes of work should ideally be followed by 30 minutes outdoors, which Huberman mentions elsewhere as a highly functional schedule.
• People who are glued to screens do little looking into the distance. Being outdoors is ideal for this, but even if you're working on a computer, it's healthy to look out into the distance at least once every 30 minutes, even if only briefly.
• As we get older, the ability of the eyes to focus near and far decreases. However, focusing exercises (a few minutes a day) can help maintain or improve this ability.
• Eye health benefits from looking at moving objects. There are many opportunities for this outdoors, but it can also be as simple as watching a live ball game. This exercise, called smooth pursuit, can be done a few times a week for 5-10 minutes.
• Certain supplements can strengthen vision or slow its deterioration. However, their benefits are not as universal as the above principles of eye care.

If you're interested, listen to the full episode on Spotify or YouTube:

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