55. Your Vision Is Trainable: How to Improve Eyesight, Focus & Brain Performance | Dr. Bryce Appelbaum
Healthy AF | Healthy After 50
What if declining vision, eye strain, headaches, brain fog, and difficulty focusing weren't simply things you had to accept as you get older?
In this episode of Healthy AF, Zane Griggs sits down with neuro-optometrist Dr. Bryce Appelbaum to explore the connection between your eyes and your brain—and why he believes vision should be trained just like the rest of your body.
Dr. Appelbaum explains the important difference between eyesight and vision, how hours of daily screen time can place the visual system under stress, and why functional vision problems can sometimes produce symptoms that overlap with problems involving attention, reading, and learning.
They also dive into vision after 40, reading glasses, screen-related eye strain, concussion recovery, and how Dr. Appelbaum works with professional and Olympic-level athletes to improve visual processing, peripheral awareness, reaction time, depth perception, and performance.
Plus, Dr. Appelbaum walks Zane through a simple "eye push-up" exercise designed to train the focusing system and shares the 20-20-20 rule you can start using during screen-heavy days.
In this episode:
Eyesight vs. vision: why they're not the same thing
How screen time affects the eye-brain connection
Vision, attention, reading, and focus
Why your distance vision may change with heavy near work
The 20-20-20 rule for screen breaks
Vision training for professional athletes
Vision changes after concussion and head injuries
Why vision matters for balance and fall prevention as we age
What happens to near vision after 40
How to perform Dr. Appelbaum's eye push-ups
Reading glasses and the focusing system
Digital performance lenses and screen stress
How to start training your vision
Connect with Zane Griggs:
🧠 Free Plan: free40plan.com
📲 Instagram: @zanegriggsfitness
🌐 Website: zanegriggs.com
Guest Links:
ScreenFit: ScreenFit.com — use code ZANE for $200 off / 40% off
My Vision First: MyVisionFirst.com
Digital Performance Lenses: use code ZANE for 10% off
https://myvisionfirst.com
0:00 Meet Dr. Bryce Appelbaum
1:42 Vision Problems, ADHD & Dyslexia Symptoms
2:33 Eyesight vs. Vision: What's the Difference?
3:45 Why Your Eyesight May Change With Screen Time
5:48 Can You Actually Exercise Your Vision?
6:41 What Screens Are Doing to Your Visual System
8:39 The Problem With 7+ Hours of Screen Time
10:55 How Vision Can Affect Your Stress Response
12:29 Adding "Vision Snacks" to Your Day
13:43 The 20-20-20 Rule
16:19 ScreenFit & Vision Performance Training
17:34 How Elite Athletes Train Their Vision
20:34 Concussions, Head Injuries & Vision
23:47 How Vision Training Changed an MLB Player's Performance
25:09 Does Vision Have to Decline With Age?
43:58 Why Reading Gets Harder After 40
45:53 How to Do Eye Push-Ups
50:02 The Problem With Monovision
52:26 Vision Training for Longevity
53:21 ScreenFit + Special Offer
55:02 Digital Performance Lenses
58:44 Where to Find Dr. Bryce Appelbaum