Can You Improve Your Vision Naturally? What Dr. Bryce Appelbaum Told Alex Clark That Challenges Everything We’ve Been Told About Eye Health
When Alex Clark welcomed neuro-optometrist Dr. Bryce Appelbaum onto Culture Apothecary, she opened with a question that immediately challenged conventional wisdom:
“You’re an eye doctor and you believe that most people can actually heal or improve their eyesight naturally?”
It’s a question many people have wondered but few eye doctors are willing to discuss. Most of us have been taught that vision decline is simply part of aging: like reading glasses in your 40s, stronger prescriptions every year, more screen fatigue, more dry eye, and eventually cataracts. That’s just what happens, right? Not necessarily.
What followed was a conversation about the eye-brain connection, why many common vision struggles may have more to do with how our brain uses our eyes than the eyes themselves, and what proactive steps people can take to support their vision long before problems become severe.
Watch the full episode below or keep reading for the biggest takeaways.
Inside this Episode
What You'll Learn
Inside this Episode
- 00:00 – Can You Improve Your Vision Naturally? Dr. Bryce Appelbaum Challenges Conventional Eye Care
- 02:14 – Why Dr. Appelbaum Believes Any Brain Can Improve and Optimize Vision
- 04:13 – Is Vision Genetic or Developed? The Childhood Milestones That Shape How We See
- 04:56 – Eyesight vs. Vision: The Difference Most People Have Never Been Taught
- 05:36 – Are Reading Glasses Helping or Becoming a Crutch?
- 09:11 – The Biggest Problem With Modern Eye Care and Why Dr. Appelbaum Focuses on Function
- 10:26 – The Myopia Epidemic: Why Nearsightedness Is Skyrocketing Worldwide
- 10:58 – The Three Biggest Risk Factors Driving Vision Decline Today
- 13:18 – Morning Sunlight, Circadian Rhythm, and Why Light Is One of the Most Powerful Health Signals
- 16:01 – Why Screen Time Is Reshaping Vision Development in Children
- 16:27 – Dr. Appelbaum’s Personal Story and What Led Him Into Neuro-Optometry
- 21:03 – Stronger Prescriptions Every Year? Why That May Not Be Normal
- 22:27 – LASIK After 10 Years: Why Vision Changes May Be About More Than Surgery
- 25:18 – Dry Eyes, Preservatives, and the Eye-Gut Connection
- 27:00 – The Supplements Dr. Appelbaum Recommends Most for Eye Health
- 28:34 – The Best Foods for Healthy Vision (Hint: It’s Not Just Carrots)
- 30:03 – Vision Is a Brain Process: A Simple Explanation Anyone Can Understand
- 31:42 – Cataracts, Antioxidants, and a Proactive Approach to Eye Health
- 37:35 – Hidden Vision Problems That Can Look Like ADHD, Learning Challenges, and Motion Sickness
- 39:28 – The Connection Between Vision, Focus, Brain Fog, and Attention
- 41:20 – Eye Push-Ups: A Simple Daily Exercise to Improve Focusing Stamina
- 46:18 – What Parents Should Know If Their Child Already Wears Glasses
- 47:40 – Lazy Eye, Strabismus, and Why Surgery Isn’t Always the Complete Solution
- 50:43 – Can Vision Therapy Work for Adults? A 92-Year-Old Patient’s Remarkable Story
- 51:04 – Astigmatism Explained: What’s Really Happening Inside the Visual System
- 56:00 – Why Concussions Almost Always Affect Vision
- 58:18 – Lisa’s Story: Recovering From Post-Concussion Symptoms Through Vision Rehabilitation
- 60:07 – How to Find a Functional Vision Specialist Near You
- 61:22 – ScreenFit™: Dr. Appelbaum’s At-Home Vision Training Program
- 63:08 – Vision Intensives: How MyVisionFirst Helps Patients Accelerate Progress
- 66:30 – Dr. Appelbaum’s Remedy for a Sick Culture: Why Functional Vision Evaluations Matter
- 67:16 – Final Takeaways: The Eye-Brain Connection and Why Vision May Be the Missing Piece
What You'll Learn
- Why eyesight and vision are not the same thing (and why most people have never been taught the difference)
- Whether it’s actually possible to improve vision naturally at any age
- Why reading glasses, stronger prescriptions, and vision decline may not always be as inevitable as you’ve been told
- How excessive screen time is changing the way our eyes and brain work together
- The surprising connection between vision, focus, brain fog, and attention challenges
- Why some hidden vision problems are often mistaken for ADHD, learning difficulties, or motion sickness
- What happens to the visual system after a concussion and why many people never fully recover
- The foods and nutrients Dr. Appelbaum prioritizes for long-term eye and brain health
- A simple at-home exercise you can start today to support your focusing system
- The daily habits Dr. Appelbaum uses to support his own vision, energy, and circadian rhythm
Why Most Eye Care Starts Too Late
One of the most surprising moments in the episode came when Dr. Appelbaum explained that the way most eye doctors are trained is fundamentally reactive, as they wait for problems and then manage them.
→ Eyesight gets worse? New glasses.
→ Dry eyes? Eye drops.
→ Reading becomes difficult? Reading glasses.
→ Cataracts develop? Surgery.
What if we approached vision differently? According to Dr. Appelbaum, much of modern eye care focuses on managing decline AFTER it occurs rather than supporting the system that influences visual performance in the first place. That distinction becomes important when you understand the difference between eyesight and vision.
The biggest takeaway from the entire episode may be this:
Eyesight and vision are not the same thing.
Dr. Appelbaum explains the difference between the two as eyesight is the ability to see clearly while vision is how the brian processes, organizes, and makes sense of everything coming through the eyes.
Most eye exams evaluate eyesight and very few evaluate vision.
That means someone can have 20/20 eyesight, healthy eyes, a normal eye exam AND still be struggling with symptoms that originate from how their visual system is functioning.
“Vision problems are brain problems.” – Dr Bryce Appelbaum
Not because something is wrong with the brain, but because vision is a brain process. Your eyes gather information. Your brain decides what to do with it.
What If the Problem Isn’t Your Eyes
This is where the conversation becomes especially interesting. Many people experience symptoms like:
- brain fog
- poor focus
- motion sickness
- headaches
- screen fatigue
- reading difficulties
- learning challenges
…and never consider that vision could be involved. However, many hidden functional problems show up in ways that don’t seem visual at all.
For example:
- One in four children has a vision problem significant enough to impact learning.
- 80% of classroom learning comes through visual processing.
- Fifteen of the eighteen most common ADHD diagnostic criteria have visual components associated with functional vision problems.
This does not mean ADHD isn’t real. It means vision deserves to be part of the conversation because when the eyes and brain are working harder than they should, the symptoms often show up as attention problems, fatigue, frustration, or poor performance.
The Modern World Is Changing How We See
Throughout this entire conversation, Dr. Appelbaum repeatedly returned to one theme → modern life is placing demands on the visual system that humans were NEVER designed for. Too much screen time. Too much near work. Not enough outdoor time. Too little movement. Artificial lighting. Constant visual stress.
The result? A dramatic rise in nearsightedness. When humans landed on the moon in 1969, about one-quarter of Americans were nearsighted. Today, roughly 43–44% are. By 2050, experts estimate that approximately half of the world’s population will be nearsighted.
According to Dr. Appelbaum, three major factors contribute to this trend:
- Not Enough Time Outdoors: Research shows that spending approximately two hours outdoors each day can help protect against myopia development.
- Too Much Near Work: Our eyes spend more time focused on nearby objects than ever before.
- Excessive Screen Use: Screens encourage the visual system to remain locked in a narrow focal state for extended periods of time. For children especially, this can impact how vision develops.
“No developing brain has the capacity to handle the screen time that’s being asked of it.” – Dr Bryce Appelbaum
Why Dr. Bryce Appelbaum Believes Vision Can Be Trained
One of Alex’s biggest questions was simple: Can vision actually improve?
Dr. Appelbaum’s answer was equally straightforward:
“Any brain at any age has the ability to enhance and optimize their vision.”
Think of vision training like physical training. If you stop using a system, it becomes weaker. If you challenge it appropriately, it can become stronger and more efficient.
That doesn’t mean every prescription can disappear.
However, it does mean many visual skills improve through targeted training. This is the foundation of vision therapy and Vision Performance Training™ .
“Vision exercises work. You simply have to do the right work in the right place for the right reasons.” — Dr. Bryce Appelbaum
The Story of Lisa: When Vision Was the Missing Piece
Lisa was an elementary school teacher who suffered a concussion after being struck in the head by a ball while supervising students on the playground.
Soon after, she experienced:
- dizziness
- headaches
- nausea
- light sensitivity
- screen intolerance
- disrupted sleep
- sensory overload
- difficulty reading
- trouble functioning in the classroom
Medical evaluations failed to explain why she continued feeling so poorly. Yet from Dr. Appelbaum’s perspective, the answer was clear. Her visual system had been impacted.
After undergoing Vision Performance Training™ alongside nutritional and lifestyle support, Lisa gradually returned to teaching and ultimately reported feeling better than she had before her injury.
Her story is one of many that highlights one of Dr. Appelbaum’s core messages:
Just because standard testing appears normal doesn’t mean the visual system is functioning optimally.
Overcoming the Odds: Reclaiming Life After a Car Accident with Vision Performance Training – MyVisionFirst
After a car accident left her unable to work, drive, or even look out the window without nausea, Rachael was told her eyes “worked well enough” and that Vision Performance Training wasn’t necessary. But she knew something wasn’t right.
What Dr. Bryce Appelbaum Does Daily To Support His Own Vision
One of the most practical parts of the conversations was hearing Dr. Appelbaum share how he prioritizes vision in his own life.
Morning Sunlight: He aims to get natural sunlight into his eyes first thing in the morning to help regulate circadian rhythm and support healthy sleep-wake cycles.
Evening Sunlight: Exposure to natural light in the evening helps signal to the body that it’s time to begin winding down.
Limiting Junk Light: Reducing artificial blue light exposure at night helps support melatonin production and sleep quality.
Spending Time Outdoors: Whether with his wife or his three children, outdoor time remains a priority.
Nutrition: He highlighted several foods that support eye and brain health like eggs. Leafy greens, citrus fruits, sardines, mackerel, anchovies, salmon, halibut, and he also talked about the importance of omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
A Simple Exercise You Can Start Today
Another practical share from the conversation was how you can start doing one practical exercise every day to help stimulate and relax the focusing system in the comfort of your home, office, etc.
Eye Push-Ups (Near-Far Focus):
- Cover one eye. Hold your thumb at arm’s length and bring it slowly toward your face until it starts to blur then stop.
- Try to bring it back into focus and hold for five seconds.
- Feel your pupil to constrict as the focusing system engages.
- Then shift your gaze to the farthest point available for five seconds.
- Alternate. Repeat with the other eye.
This directly counters the rigidity that leads to reading glasses by building stamina and flexibility in the focusing system. Done daily, even 30 seconds per eye, it’s the single exercise most likely to prolong reading independence, reduce dependence on existing reading glasses, or, with consistent effort, reverse early-stage near vision decline.
Think You Might Be Dealing With a Hidden Vision Problem?
Take our quick self-assessment and discover if functional vision training could change your life.
Could Vision Be The Missing Piece?
Many people spend years searching for answers to symptoms that don’t seem connected. Brain fog. Headaches. Screen fatigue. Motion sickness. Difficulty focusing. Reading struggles. Post-concussion symptoms. Yet vision is often never evaluated beyond whether someone needs glasses. As Dr. Appelbaum shared with Alex Clark:
“We need to at least recognize that vision likely is a piece of the puzzle and go get your vision checked with a functional vision evaluation.”
The good news? Vision is trainable and for many people, understanding the eye-brain connections becomes the first step towards understanding why they’ve been struggling in the first place.
If this conversation made you question whether your struggles are really just “normal aging,” screen fatigue, poor focus, or something you’ve simply learned to live with, your visual system may be worth exploring further.
Many people are surprised to learn that symptoms like headaches, brain fog, attention challenges, motion sickness, reading fatigue, screen intolerance, and post-concussion difficulties can have a visual component that often goes undetected during a standard eye exam.
MyVisionFirst™ offers a quick online vision quiz designed to identify common signs of functional vision issues, including reading fatigue, screen stress, attention challenges, and visual overwhelm.
Taking the quiz is a simple first step in understanding whether your symptoms may be connected to how your visual system is functioning.
If you’re ready to take a more proactive approach, you can also explore ScreenFit™, our at-home vision training program designed to help improve visual comfort, stamina, focus, and performance in today’s screen-heavy world.
And if you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to follow Culture Apothecary and Alex Clark, as well as Dr. Bryce Appelbaum, for more discussions on the eye-brain connection, functional vision, and practical strategies to support lifelong visual health.
Curious if a functional evaluation could help you or your child?
We invite you to start with our quick self-check quiz or schedule a discovery call with our team to learn more about how MyVisionFirst can help.
About MyVisionFirst
A Bethesda-Based Vision Therapy & Neuro-Optometry Practice with Global Reach
At MyVisionFirst, we’re not your typical eye care clinic—and we like it that way.
Based in Bethesda, Maryland, we specialize in neuro-optometry and functional vision rehabilitation for both children and adults.
Our mission: Unlock Your Potential Through Vision.
We help people finally understand why their vision doesn’t feel right—even if they’ve been told everything looks “normal.”
Whether you’re a student struggling to read, an adult battling screen fatigue, or someone recovering from a brain injury or concussion, we help uncover and treat the underlying visual processing issues that traditional exams often miss.
And we don’t just serve the Maryland & DC metro area.
Patients travel from across the U.S. (and beyond) for our Vision Intensives, and many benefit from our virtual training programs that bring high-level care right to your home—no matter where you are.
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Real Patient Stories
From Boundless Life: Can ADHD and Dyslexia REALLY Be Cured with Vision Training?
For most people, ADHD and dyslexia are lifelong labels. But what if the real problem isn’t the brain at all, it’s the eye–brain connection? In this episode of Boundless Life, Ben Greenfield brings his wife Jessa’s personal story of dyslexia to Dr. Bryce Appelbaum’s clinic, where five days of vision training led to profound changes in reading, comprehension, and confidence. Could hidden vision problems be the missing link behind these diagnoses?
The 3PM Crash Isn’t What You Think: How the Eye-Brain Connection Impacts Fatigue and Focus
In a powerful episode of The Dhru Purohit Show, neuro-optometrist Dr. Bryce Appelbaum reveals why the eye-brain connection may be the missing link behind brain fog, fatigue, and focus struggles—even with 20/20 eyesight.
The Hidden System Behind Performance: Why Vision Is Trainable (and what to do about it)
Vision isn’t just about seeing clearly, it’s how your brain uses your eyes to guide attention, posture, balance, and performance. In this Ready State episode, Dr. Bryce Appelbaum explains why vision is a trainable skill, how screen time and concussions disrupt the eye-brain connection, and the simple drills anyone can start using today.
Could It Be Vision? The Hidden Reason Behind Your Child’s Reading Struggles, Headaches, and Focus Issues
What if everything you’ve been told about ADHD, dyslexia, or even needing glasses…missed the mark?
In this deeply personal and eye-opening episode of Everyday Ancestral, host James Barry and Dr. Bryce Appelbaum unpack the truth about vision and how it could be the missing link behind so many learning, attention, and emotional challenges kids face today.
Rewire Your Brain Through Vision: Insights from Dr. Appelbaum & Dr. Chatterjee
Most people think vision just means eyesight. But as Dr. Bryce Appelbaum shares with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, vision is brain function. From stress and burnout to ADHD-like symptoms, motion sickness, and even memory, functional vision problems are hiding in plain sight. This powerful conversation explores how Vision Performance Training can rewire the brain, reduce screen fatigue, and unlock performance at any age.
Dave Asprey’s Superhuman Vision: This SECRET Exercise Restored My Eyesight Forever
In this episode of The Human Upgrade, Dave Asprey teams up with Dr. Bryce Appelbaum to uncover the transformative power of vision therapy and the mind-eye connection. Together, they reveal how your brain and eyes work in unison to shape how you see and experience the world—and how you can enhance both with simple, effective eye exercises.
Keep Learning
From Boundless Life: Can ADHD and Dyslexia REALLY Be Cured with Vision Training?
For most people, ADHD and dyslexia are lifelong labels. But what if the real problem isn’t the brain at all, it’s the eye–brain connection? In this episode of Boundless Life, Ben Greenfield brings his wife Jessa’s personal story of dyslexia to Dr. Bryce Appelbaum’s clinic, where five days of vision training led to profound changes in reading, comprehension, and confidence. Could hidden vision problems be the missing link behind these diagnoses?
The 3PM Crash Isn’t What You Think: How the Eye-Brain Connection Impacts Fatigue and Focus
In a powerful episode of The Dhru Purohit Show, neuro-optometrist Dr. Bryce Appelbaum reveals why the eye-brain connection may be the missing link behind brain fog, fatigue, and focus struggles—even with 20/20 eyesight.
The Hidden System Behind Performance: Why Vision Is Trainable (and what to do about it)
Vision isn’t just about seeing clearly, it’s how your brain uses your eyes to guide attention, posture, balance, and performance. In this Ready State episode, Dr. Bryce Appelbaum explains why vision is a trainable skill, how screen time and concussions disrupt the eye-brain connection, and the simple drills anyone can start using today.