The Huberman Podcast is the brainchild of Stanford School of Medicine’s Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience and ophthalmology. Huberman recently spoke with Stanford’s Jeffrey Goldberg, M.D., Ph.D. about how people can best maintain eye health and vision as they age. Goldberg is chair of the Byers Eye Institute’s Department of Ophthalmology. Below are four key areas discussed during the interview.*

https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/huberman-lab/id1545953110?i=1000618324641

Eye safety and hygiene (31:18)

If there’s one thing that doesn’t get talked about enough, Goldberg says, it’s eye safety. It’s critical to protect your eyes against trauma with goggles when engaging in risky indoor or outdoor activity (when cleaning, gardening, or doing woodwork, for example). Such injury can usually only be addressed with surgery.

Eye hygiene is a form of protection, as well. While our eyes are generally self-cleaning because our tears have antibacterial properties, our eyelids and eyelashes can accumulate skin flakes and dirt buildup faster as we age. Goldberg advises gently cleansing the roots of your eyelashes with baby shampoo on a regular basis.

For any irritants stuck under the eyelid, he says, wash them out with artificial tears or a sterile saline solution without chemicals or preservatives.

Contact lenses (1:24:51)

The advantage of contact lenses over glasses for improving vision, Goldberg says, comes down to abnormalities in the front of the eye (eye lens) that glasses can’t correct. There are a few potential risks, however.

• “Run-of-the-mill” contact lenses will affect the eye’s tearing process and lead to dry eyes more frequently as we get older. When dryness becomes problematic, he suggests, slowly reduce contact use.
• If lenses are not properly cleaned, your cornea can become infected. Even with treatment, corneal infection can result in permanent scarring and blurred vision.

Goldberg recommends only using disposable lenses, and removing contacts before bed. The eyes already receive less oxygen when they are closed. Leaving contact lenses in further reduces that oxygen, which can raise your risk of bacterial infection.

Smoking, vaping, cannabis, and eye pressure (2:28:07)

Smoking and vaping are bad for both general well-being and eye health, Goldberg cautions, especially if you have macular degeneration or glaucoma.

For optimal cardiovascular and eye health:

• Don’t smoke or vape,
• Eat a nutritious diet,
• Exercise regularly, and
• Take vitamins.

Though some studies suggest that cannabis (marijuana) can lower eye pressure, thereby potentially stopping glaucoma progression, these benefits have been observed to be temporary, and any form of smoking can cause lung inflammation and drying of the eyes. 

Eye pressure and sleep position (2:35:13)

Eye pressure is higher in the evening, and research suggests possible benefits for people with glaucoma to sleep a certain way to lower pressure.

• Goldberg says the side you sleep on likely has no significant effect on eye pressure, though some experts say otherwise.
• When lying face-up, raising your head to a 30-degree angle may be prudent, provided it doesn’t interfere with sleep.

Getting sufficient good-quality sleep is vitally important for overall health.

*Bingle, T. (2023). Eye and Vision Health With Dr. Jeffrey Goldberg. Longevity. https://longevitylive.com/anti-aging/eye-and-vision-health-with-dr-jeffrey-goldberg

Responsum Health closely vets all sources to ensure that we always provide you with high-quality, reliable information. We do not, however, endorse or recommend any specific providers, treatments, or products, and the use of a given source does not imply an endorsement of any provider, treatment, medication, or procedure discussed within.