AMA #6: Eye Health, Why We Yawn & Increasing Motivation

Introduction

In this section, Andrew Huberman introduces himself and the purpose of the podcast. He also talks about the premium subscriber channel and how it supports research studies on human beings that lead to important discoveries that assist mental health, physical health, and performance.

Introduction

• Andrew Huberman is a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine.

• The podcast discusses science-based tools for everyday life.

• The premium subscriber channel was started to provide support for exciting research being done at Stanford and elsewhere.

• For every dollar generated by the Huberman Lab Premium channel for research studies, the tiny foundation has agreed to match that amount.

Purpose of Premium Subscriber Channel

In this section, Andrew Huberman explains how the premium subscriber channel generates support for research studies on human beings that lead to important discoveries that assist mental health, physical health, and performance.

Purpose of Premium Subscriber Channel

• The premium subscriber channel generates support for exciting research being done at Stanford and elsewhere.

• Research studies on human beings lead to important discoveries that assist mental health, physical health, and performance.

• For every dollar generated by the Huberman Lab Premium channel for research studies, the tiny foundation has agreed to match that amount.

Subscription Options

In this section, Andrew Huberman explains subscription options available for listeners who want to subscribe to the premium subscriber channel.

Subscription Options

• Listeners can subscribe to the Huberman Lab podcast premium channel by going to hubermanlab.com/premium.

• It costs $10 a month or $100 all at once for an entire 12-month subscription.

• There is also a lifetime subscription model available as a one-time payment.

Eye Health Protocols

In this section, Andrew Huberman answers a question about eye health protocols for people that are aging and in general.

Eye Health Protocols

• Viewing things both close up and far away across the day is important for maintaining or improving vision.

• Many people nowadays spend a lot of time looking at their smartphone, computer screen, books, etc., which is an unprecedented event in human history.

• The incidence of myopia (nearsightedness) is increasing dramatically around the world, particularly fast in children and young adults who view things at very close range (2.5 feet or less).

• It's going to be very important for you to view things at a distance as well for ideally several hours per day if you want your vision to be maintained or even improve.

Importance of Viewing Things at a Distance

In this section, Andrew Huberman emphasizes the importance of viewing things at a distance.

Importance of Viewing Things at a Distance

• It's important to view things both close up and far away across the day.

• Viewing things at 2.5 feet or less is not bad for your eyes but if you want your vision to be maintained or even improve, it's going to be very important for you to view things at a distance as well for ideally several hours per day.

• Many people are still mostly just viewing things within very close range.

Impact of Viewing Distance on Eye Health

In this section, Dr. Rhonda Patrick discusses how the length of the eyeball and the structure of the lens are impacted by how close or far we view things during development. She describes an experiment that shows how exclusively looking at things up close can lead to nearsightedness, while spending time viewing things at a distance is important for maintaining vision.

The Experiment

• An experiment has been performed in chickens, mice, and humans where a visual occluder or image is placed at a certain distance from the eye.

• The impact of viewing distance on the length of the eyeball and on the structure of the lens and acuity of vision is then measured.

• If during development, you exclusively look at things that are up close, very close to your eye, and don't ever get long-range vision, your eyeball lengthens.

• This causes light to land in front of as opposed to directly on the neural retina which leads to nearsighted myopia. In farsightedness, it's focused too far behind the retina due to shortening of the eyeball.

Impact on Eye Health

• Kids who spend most waking time looking at things up close indoors develop myopia.

• Spending progressively more time just looking at things up close can lead to challenges in maintaining sharp vision when looking at things both up close and far away.

• Spending time outdoors viewing objects in a distance through visual scanning behavior is good for eye health.

• Looking at things up close too much can exacerbate myopia.

Recommendations

• Getting at least an hour or so each day of long viewing is recommended.

• Walking outside and avoiding looking at your phone while walking can help achieve this.

• For those who are far-sighted, it's important to ask yourself whether you're spending too much time looking at things off in the distance.

Maintaining and Enhancing Eye Health

In this section, Dr. Rhonda Patrick discusses the importance of maintaining and enhancing eye health through behavioral protocols.

Balancing Near and Far Vision

• Looking at things beyond 3 feet relative to the distance from your eye can help maintain and enhance vision.

• Try to balance out the amount of viewing that you're doing at close distance and long distance.

• Spend time viewing things that are at variable distances throughout the day.

Spending Time Outside in Sunlight

• Children who get two hours a day or more of time outside in sunlight have a much lower incidence of myopia.

• View morning sunlight, not through a window or windshield, trying to get as much sunlight as you can in your eyes early in the day.

• The particular wavelengths of light that emanate from the sun trigger activation of intrinsically sensitive melanopsin and retinal ganglion cells which are important for setting circadian rhythm, enhancing mood focus, alertness during the day, enhancing quality and duration of sleep at night.

• Getting outside for at least two hours a day can prevent myopia if you're a young person.

Expert Insights on Eye Health

• Russell Van Gelder is an expert in ophthalmology who will be invited onto the podcast to talk more about eye health.

Spending Time Outdoors

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of spending time outdoors and how it can help maintain or improve vision.

Two Hours of Outdoor Time

• Strive to get an average of about two hours of outdoor time as much as you can.

• This two-hour threshold includes activities such as hiking, playing sports, taking walks, etc.

• Getting natural light exposure is important for triggering activity in intrinsically photosensitive melanopsin and retinal ganglion cells.

• Opening a window and getting some natural light exposure is better than not getting any at all.

Maintaining Eye Health

• The musculature around the eye and control of the movement of the lens are important for maintaining or improving vision.

• The lens has its own flexibility and requires nourishment from blood flow but does not have vasculature within it.

• Keeping that lens clear is vital nowadays since there are no blood vessel supplies to the lens.

• Near-far exercises can be very useful in maintaining musculature that controls the movement and change of shape in that lens and movement of eyes.

Smooth Pursuit Task

• Smooth pursuit task involves smoothly tracking a small dot or crosshatch or arrow on the screen.

• Doing this for a few minutes each day can help keep your vision strong by improving musculature and movement of eyes and lenses.

• Smooth pursuit tasks are different from saccade type eye movements that we often make. Microsaccades are little tiny versions of those that we do most all the time.

Adaptation to Change

• Your nervous system largely responds to change, which is why microsaccades are important in preventing adaptation.

• Macrosaccades, bigger saccades, also play a role in adaptation prevention.

Maintaining and Improving Vision

In this section, Dr. Andrew Huberman discusses two visual exercises that can be useful in maintaining or reversing vision loss: the smooth pursuit task and the near-far exercise. He also briefly touches on nutrition and supplements for maintaining or improving vision.

Smooth Pursuit Task

• Doing the smooth pursuit task for a bit each day helps maintain your ability to do smooth pursuit through the musculature of the eye.

• Additional deliberate smooth pursuit exercises can be useful in offsetting or reversing vision loss.

Near-Far Exercise

• The near-far exercise involves holding out a pen or pencil in front of your eyes and focusing intensely through what's called a vergence eye movement.

• By moving the pen closer and closer to your eyes until it becomes blurry, you can build up the musculature and neuromuscular connections that allow you to do that more efficiently.

Nutrition and Supplements

• Vitamin A is essential for the phototransduction cascade, which is how photoreceptors take light energy and convert it into electrical signals that create visual perceptions.

• Eating dark green leafy vegetables in their closest to raw form can help ensure you get enough vitamin A.

For more information on other behavioral tools for maintaining or enhancing vision, see Dr. Huberman's episode on eyesight at hubermanlab.com.

Vitamin A and Eye Health

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of vitamin A for eye health and how to obtain it through diet or supplementation.

Getting Enough Vitamin A

• Additional vitamin A from a foundational supplement is not an issue unless taken in excess.

• Vitamin A can be obtained through diet by eating foods such as carrots and green leafy vegetables.

• Liver is also a good source of vitamin A, but may not be appetizing to everyone.

Supplementation for Eye Health

• Lutein, present in eggs and certain supplements, may potentially help with age-related macular degeneration.

• Data on supplementation for eye health are still emerging.

• Eating a healthy diet with sufficient amounts of vitamin A and lutein through food sources may eliminate the need for supplementation.

• Anecdotal reports suggest that some supplements containing lutein, zeaxanthins, or astaxanthins can enhance vision. However, there are few papers pointing to specific disease instances where these supplements can be beneficial.

Conclusion

In this section, the speaker concludes by summarizing the main points discussed in the podcast.

Key Takeaways

• Obtaining sufficient amounts of vitamin A and lutein through food sources is important for eye health.

• Supplementation with lutein, zeaxanthins, or astaxanthins may potentially help with age-related macular degeneration but more research is needed.

Maintaining and Improving Vision

In this section, the speaker discusses ways to maintain and improve vision.

Diet and Supplements

• Lutein and vitamin A are important for maintaining good vision.

• Supplementing with additional lutein, zeaxanthin, and astaxanthin may be beneficial for those interested in improving their vision.

• The speaker personally takes a foundational supplement as a source of vitamin A but does not take lutein, zeaxanthin, or astaxanthin.

Eye Weakness and Corrective Lenses

• The speaker has a muscular weakness in one eye that occasionally causes it to deviate slightly.

• Ophthalmologists or optometrists may prescribe prism lenses to redirect the image onto a deflected eyeball. However, this can lead to progressive weakening of the muscle further over time.

• Some people find that doing exercises such as smooth pursuit and near-far viewing can help offset visual impairment without relying too much on corrective lenses.

Red Light Therapy

• Exposure to red light early in the day can offset some of the vision loss related to age-related macular degeneration or age-related visual decline.

• Red light therapy works by stimulating certain mechanisms within the eye.

Red Light Therapy for Vision Loss

In this section, Dr. Huberman discusses the benefits of red light therapy for vision loss and how it can improve visual acuity.

Photoreceptors and Red Light Therapy

• Different types of photoreceptors respond to different wavelengths of light.

• Consistent exposure to red light early in the day can offset some aspects of vision loss.

• A red light unit that provides red and near-infrared light in the 650 to 720 nanometer range is recommended.

• The device should not be too bright as it may damage your eyes.

Behavioral Tools and Red Light Therapy

• Red light exposure had to be done early in the day for a real circadian effect.

• Other behavioral tools such as getting two hours of sunlight exposure outside, nutrition, vitamin A supplementation, zeaxanthins, astaxanthins can also help improve vision.

• Deliberate red light exposure can be used to offset concerns about potential vision loss and even improve vision regardless of age.

Huberman Lab Podcast Premium Channel

• The premium channel was launched to raise support for the standard Huberman Lab podcast channel and fund research on human beings aimed at developing further protocols for mental health, physical health, and performance.

• Protocols developed will be distributed through all channels including the premium channel.

Huberman Lab Premium Channel

In this section, Dr. Andrew Huberman talks about the Huberman Lab Premium channel and how it can help people with mental health, physical health, and performance.

Benefits of Signing Up for the Premium Channel

• The premium channel provides access to all the AMAs.

• Users can ask questions and get answers to their questions.

• Users will also get answers to all the questions that other people ask as well.

• There is premium content such as transcripts of the AMAs and various transcripts and protocols of Huberman Lab podcast episodes not found elsewhere.

How to Sign Up for the Premium Channel

• To sign up for the premium channel, go to hubermanlab.com/premium.

• The cost is $10 per month or $100 upfront for the entire year.

• By signing up, users will be supporting research for mental health, physical health, and performance.

Overall, Dr. Andrew Huberman discusses how signing up for the Huberman Lab Premium channel can provide users with access to valuable resources related to mental health, physical health, and performance.