The Top 4 Ways Your Vision Improves Your Health

Did you know your eyes are responsible for 80% of how you take in the world? This means they are the first contact in how our brains perceive threats.

The eyes are remarkable sensory organs, capable of processing a vast amount of information compared to other senses. Researchers estimate that approximately 80% of what we perceive comes through our vision. Our eyes can detect a broad spectrum of colors, patterns, shapes, and movements, providing rich detail about our surroundings.

In contrast, our other senses, such as hearing, touch, taste, and smell, contribute to the remaining 20% of our sensory input. While each sense plays a crucial role in our perception of the world, the sheer volume and complexity of visual information often make it the dominant sense in our daily experiences.

It makes sense that keeping our eyes healthy should be as important as keeping our brain and body healthy.

Have you ever wondered how your eyes capture the world around you and how that is interpreted in your brain? So much of our external world is taken in by our eyes as light energy, or photons, being transformed into signals that your brain interprets as images.

Not only does this process shape how we perceive the world in our brain, but it also plays a vital role in regulating hormone and neurotransmitter release throughout our brain and body.

At Next Level Neuro, we spend a lot of time on the Visual system and how the sensory input from the eyes is encoded, transmitted, and interpreted by the brain. This involves understanding the roles of various brain regions, such as the primary visual cortex located in the occipital lobe, as well as higher-order areas responsible for processing more abstract visual information.

Understanding the Mechanics of Vision

Your eyes are marvels of biological engineering, constantly adapting to bring clarity to your surroundings. It wasn’t until I understood the massive importance of my eyes in training and stress that I decided to take my eyesight seriously and what it means to my overall balance, flexibility, and health. 

Example: Walking on ice.

When our eyes see the ice, our brain immediately starts sending signals to tense up and slow down. Have you ever gone to get your eyes checked and had blurry vision? What happens when your vision is impaired? You are immediately in a threatened position, and your brain engages to keep you in survival.  That survival mechanism?  Slowed walking, maybe pain in an area to slow you down, maybe your posture slouches for protection?   It can be everything and everything.

We all know screen staring is horrible for you, but why?

This simple thing we all do, every day can strain the muscles and nerves of the eye, altering the length of your eyeball and potentially leading to issues like myopia (makes changing on different distances harder).

To maintain optimal eye health, it's crucial to incorporate daily practices that give your eyes the care they deserve. In our mentorship, we spend an entire quarter on the visual system, why it’s so important, neuro drills to enhance and improve our vision, and how to incorporate it into your training.

Here are the 4 top recommendations from Next Level Neuro to maintain optimal eye health:

1. Prioritize Eye Relaxation:

Find moments to let your eyes relax, especially if you spend extended periods engaged in close-up tasks. Throughout the day, give your eyes a break from close-up tasks like computer work or reading.

Aim for a balance of near and far viewing, allowing your eyes to focus on distant objects multiple times daily. Try taking calls outdoors or simply gazing out a window to various distances.

Or even cover your eyes in total darkness for a few minutes to relax them.

2. Incorporate Optic Flow Activities:

Combatting the Risks of Modern Lifestyles

In today's digital age, where screens dominate our daily routines, it's essential to be mindful of the impact on our vision.

Frequent close-up viewing not only strains our eyes but can also contribute to tension headaches and fatigue.

Combatting these risks requires a multifaceted approach. Incorporating "optic flow" activities, such as outdoor walks or bike rides, can alleviate strain and promote a sense of well-being. You will find that the next 2 (3 and 4) can incorporate a 2 for 1 or more when you go outside.

**We go over some of the following Eye training exercises in our FREE NEURO WORKSHOP, which can be found here. These are a few of the many we teach.**

It will be important to understand the assess and reassess process to gauge whether the exercises we select heighten the threat to our brain or alleviate stress.

**This is all reviewed in detail in the workshop. By re-evaluating after each eye exercise, you can tailor which eye exercises work for your needs.**

(3) Eye Training Exercises:

Improve voluntary control of your eye muscles with targeted exercises.

i. Smooth Pursuits:

Practice following a small object with your eyes, ensuring smooth movements without darting. Whether observing a bird in flight or tracking a sports game, aim for fluidity in your eye movements. You can also incorporate this exercise into your computer routine.

For many versions of our smooth pursuits, you can watch the workshop or contact us for more information below.

ii. Near-Far Exercises:

Train your eye muscles to adjust focus between objects at varying distances. Start by visually focusing on a nearby object and gradually bring it closer while maintaining focus.

Repeat this exercise in reverse, moving the object farther away. With consistent practice, you'll improve your control over eye muscles and neural connections.

We find a drill like near-far great for our athletes like golfers, baseball players, and anyone who has to follow objects.

During our mentorship, we teach students to use numbered and lettered charts for their clients and frequently teach them to engage in these types of exercises in fun ways that connect with their clients.

For example, see this video on vision for Volleyball.

The second example is here set in our 3-day live workshop event. 

Just as physical exercise strengthens our muscles, targeted eye exercises can enhance our vision and offset age-related decline.

Helping your visual process get stronger helps decrease the threat in your brain.  If you want to learn more about why we use the threat of the brain and why this is important to your overall health, all you need to do is understand that threat is how the brain perceives pain or stress.    The brain does not distinguish between pain as emotional pain or physical pain.  Pain is pain to our brain. 

Read these on threat and pain and how the brain interprets and what to do:

3 Secret Neuro Drills for Pain Relief

Case Study: From Pain To Performance

The Posture-Brain Connection: A Deep Dive Education

4. Set Your Circadian Clock:

Honoring the Role of Light in Circadian Rhythms

This nifty little trick has helped a lot of people get better sleep.

Sunlight exposure plays a crucial role in regulating your body's circadian rhythm. Spend 5-10 minutes in sunlight upon waking and again in the late afternoon to synchronize your sleep-wake cycle and enhance overall energy and mood.

Beyond shaping our visual experiences, light plays a pivotal role in regulating our body's internal clock, or circadian rhythm.

**GEEK MOMENT: Melanopsin retinal ganglion cells, nestled within our eyes, communicate crucial information about the time of day to our brains, influencing everything from sleep patterns to hormone levels.**

By exposing ourselves to natural sunlight, particularly during the morning and early evening hours, we can synchronize our circadian rhythms and promote overall well-being. Conversely, minimizing nighttime light exposure, especially from sources rich in blue light, can safeguard against disruptions to sleep and mitigate the risk of conditions like myopia (as explained above).

At Next Level Neuro, our education process is committed to equipping you with the insights and tools needed to prioritize your education to move into this next generation's health model.

For more information on our mentorship visit our mentorship program webpage.