Optimizing Eye Health: Dr. Joseph Allen Explains the Science of Vision | The Proof Podcast EP

[@weston.weston]

You have reached 100K subs, Simon! So well deserved!

[@TheProofWithSimonHill]

Many thanks!

[@ChessMasterNate]

@@TheProofWithSimonHill Thank you putting out extremely high quality content, and always doing your homework, to cover every angle with the latest information. It is obvious that you really care about the health and longevity of people. And I would watch you anyway, but thanks for not hatting on people who are not vegetarian or vegan. And especially thank you for your intellectual integrity, and not compromising objectivity, feeding confirmation bias, purveying conspiracies, or prideful/derisive tribalism to get more views.

[@kwikitti]

After listening to your interview with Gary Fraser, I bought some cans of water-pack, no salt added, wild caught sardines, and started eating 1 can/week. (I've been on a WFPB diet since 2008.) Now considering bumping that up to twice a week and call myself a pesca-vegan. (I'm going to keep taking my vegan DHA/EPA supplement the other days of the week. Being homozygous apoE4, I want to do all I can to optimize my brain function. Thank you for these wonderful interviews, Simon. And it's great to see you on The Proof, Dr Allen - I've already learned lots from your Dr Eye Health podcasts. Now I'm learning lots more as you're answering Simon's questions. At my next visit, I'm going to request my optometrist include a basic neuro-optometric assessment during each visit to evaluate me for any early signs of dementia indicating a need for a referral to a neuro-optometrist.

[@ChrisUK70]

Thanks Simon for another informative video, love it when one of your guests says they are not sure about something shows they really know their subject and won't guess!

[@DoctorEyeHealth]

❤

[@meltedsnowman9637]

Wow, this was super in depth. Joseph Allen clearly has a lot of below the surface esoteric knowledge on this subject.

[@DoctorEyeHealth]

Haha thanks for saying that. I do try to stay on top of a lot of subjects.

[@meltedsnowman9637]

@@DoctorEyeHealth Have you seen the randomised controlled trial with over 5,000 women showing that combined folic acid, vitamin b12 and vitamin b6 supplementation reduced the risk of age-related macular degeneration? It’s hypothesised it may be in part due to a lowering of homocysteine. KZbin is bad with links but the study is called “Folic Acid, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12 in Combination and Age-related Macular Degeneration in a Randomized Trial of Women”.

[@meltedsnowman9637]

@@DoctorEyeHealth Have you seen the randomised controlled trial with over 5,000 women showing that combined folic acid, vitamin b12 and vitamin b6 supplementation reduced the risk of age-related macular degeneration? It had an average of 7.3 years treatment and follow up and it is hypothesised it may be in part due to a lowering of homocysteine. KZbin is bad with links but the study is called “Folic Acid, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12 in Combination and Age-related Macular Degeneration in a Randomized Trial of Women”.

[@meltedsnowman9637]

@@DoctorEyeHealth On Age related Macular degeneration, have you come across this randomised controlled trial with over 5,000 women+7 years of treatment and follow up suggesting that combined folic acid, vitamin b6 and vitamin b12 supplementation reduced the risk of age related macular degeneration? It’s argued it may be largely due to the reduction in homocysteine. KZbin sometimes is weird with links but the study is called “Folic Acid, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12 in Combination and Age-related Macular Degeneration in a Randomized Trial of Women”.

[@meltedsnowman9637]

@@DoctorEyeHealth Have you seen the randomised controlled trial suggesting that vitamin b12, vitamin b6 and folic acid supplementation reduced the risk of age-related macular degeneration, possibly due to its effects on lowering homocysteine? Study name is “Folic Acid, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12 in Combination and Age-related Macular Degeneration in a Randomized Trial of Women”.

[@peterz53]

Thanks. My daughter is an optometrist and she sees so many people in bad health, and said that eye health almost always tracks with overall physical condition. Diet and physical activity just not appreciated as a foundation to good health.

[@lindseym1409]

I am an ophthalmologists worst nightmare. Severe myopia starting at a young age, contact lens wearer, retinal detachment x 2 and chronic dry eye as well as early cataract etc. Although I super wish this podcast existed decades ago, I feel very fortunate to have come across it now! Thank you both for your time and expertise.

[@SkipYearSix]

@@lindseym1409 what caused your dry eye? I have it to.

[@presence5426]

Excellent overview. Seriously. I got at least 5 actionable items from this. I'll probably even email the guest because I know of a couple specialty supps he'll like.

[@deonb6106]

Excellent discussion, thank you Simon for the work you put into these in-depth conversations. My eyes are, like nearly everyone's I guess, a bit weird: -4 left and -1 right. My recent checkup revealed they were otherwise in great shape for a 57yo male, and not much change from my last visit. I was inspired by some new insights from Dr Allen, and grateful that I've been doing my nutrition mostly right. Been 100% plant-based since 2012, and for the past 4 months or so have been supplementing with 2 separate servings of 700mg algal DHA/EPA daily after being convinced it was essential by listening to one of your earlier episodes. Long-term I've been eating three big servings of dark leafy greens (home-grown, raw and cooked, several species) and supplementing with Vitamin D3 as well as getting lots of outdoor time. Will follow Joseph to stay in contact Sharing with my friends and followers.

[@raym8158]

Awesome, thanks Simon!

[@TheBadMoJoe]

How do you not have more followers!! Thanks so much for the great content Simon and The Proof team!

[@TheProofWithSimonHill]

Our pleasure!

[@Dreamopticsredlightglasses]

Awesome, thank you so much all, great questions, Dr Allen is so knowledgeable, look forward to the next one! thanks Simon. 👍

[@jenniferchapman9645]

Thankyou for doing this one unless you have struggled with eye sight people don't realise how disabling it can be . I had server astigmatism could not see further than end of my noise !!!! Had cataracts done oh my i feel like i have a new lease for life its truly amazing can't thank NHS enough x😊

[@BlackBeltGamers88]

Woo! Saw the thumbnail! Awesome to see you buddy! Can't wait to listen to this! Didn't know this was actually happening, I remember you showing me the email a while back. You've done an amazing job educating about the eyes over the years, super proud of you!

[@DoctorEyeHealth]

Thank you!!!

[@BlackBeltGamers88]

@@DoctorEyeHealthAnytime buddy! Thanks for all the education you put out for us. I've learned more that I could ever have imagined.🎉

[@Franciuk]

About eating fish eggs, I wonder if eating bottarga is a good option, it’s cured fish eggs from grey mullet, typically eaten in the Mediterranean. It last decent amount of time and it’s super delicious, spaghetti with bottarga is a typical Sardinian dish.

[@lucastulpin]

@theproofwithsimonhill Dr. Joseph Allen does explain the brain-eye connection which is in Bate's book. It's definitely worth a read in relation to this subject.

[@peterz53]

On UV light, might have researcher Glenn Jeffery PhD on to discuss. He's also done work on red/IR effects on retina.

[@DoctorEyeHealth]

That would be super interesting!

[@Dreamopticsredlightglasses]

yes, he co-developed these glasses

[@demonfedor3748]

Halfway in, learned a whole lot. Didn't know about 3 types of DHA. And also about fish eggs being full of eye-healthy type. Do all fish eggs contain it, or only some? There's a wide variety of fish eggs on local market with an even wider price range.

[@DoctorEyeHealth]

That is a good question. I have not found any resources that have broken it down that deep.

You can learn to fully contract your pupils (to create the “pin-hole effect”) and accommodate your eyes in absence of bright light and without looking at objects at a close distance: _‘“Normally when you go underwater, everything is so blurry that the eye doesn’t even try to accommodate, it’s not a normal reflex,” says Gislen. “But the Moken children are able to do both - they can make their pupils smaller and change their lens shape. Seals and dolphins have a similar adaptation.”_ […] _Gislen wondered whether the Moken children had a genetic anomaly to thank for their ability to see underwater or whether it was just down to practice. To find out, she asked a group of European children on holiday in Thailand, and a group of children in Sweden to take part in training sessions, in which they dived underwater and tried to work out the direction of lines on a card. After 11 sessions across one month, both groups had attained the same underwater acuity as the Moken children.’_ - Helen Thomson, “The ‘sea-nomad’ children who see like dolphins” BBC (2016-03-01)

[@sparshgadkari]

Hey Simon, whenever I watch these podcasts I love looking through the studies. I didn’t seem to find a show notes in your website.

[@DoctorEyeHealth]

I did post some resources in a comment here. Hopefully you can find them.

[@beepbeepnj2658]

Last week I had to go for an eye check up and before the exam started the doc asked if I had any complaints. So I said yes, everyday I get up and look in the mirror and I don't like what I see, so the eye doc said, "well I don't know what to tell you but your eyesight is perfect."

[@DoctorEyeHealth]

😂

[@grmalinda6251]

@@beepbeepnj2658 count your blessings?

[@ReeseDaBeast808Tyga]

@@beepbeepnj2658 😂🤣

[@rebeccapenders5050]

@@beepbeepnj2658 What a jerk! 😉😆

[@Ded-Ede]

1:05:47 I’ve heard pasture raised hens eggs are a great source of Lutein and Zeaxanthin. How do they compare to leafy vegetables in quantity and quality?

[@HakuCell]

it probably depends on the diet of the hens. dark leafy greens are better imo, plus eggs raise cholesterol in most people.

[@Ded-Ede]

27:27 there are doctors who fell we don’t get enough sun and the lack of sun exposure is causing many metabolic diseases. What say you doc?

[@DoctorEyeHealth]

I think there is some good reasoning behind it, but we need to be mindful of both the good and the bad or sunlight exposure.

[@SkipYearSix]

Can we have more funding and research going into Dry Eye Disease? People are killing themselves due to this 24/7 pain and limiting disease. Please help!

[@wallyrbc]

How about retinol contributing to Dry Eye? I don’t mean applying it too close to the eye but the fact it enters the bloodstream by applying it to the face?

[@judb1222]

Thank you for a great interview. I’d be interested to know if those with SNPs who have reduced conversion of beta carotene to retinol vitamin A might be at more risk of MD? I understand that eating higher beta carotene rich foods does not improve this pathway and wonder if those with family history of MD might benefit from retinol supplements (or more fish species high in vitamin A) if they don’t eat meat?

[@carinaekstrom1]

Yes, super interesting about the DHA. Is he saying that algae or plants don't contain this type 3 DHA?

[@DoctorEyeHealth]

I have not found any publications discussing a plant or algae sources LPC-DHA. However, I did find this publication discussing the ability to synthesize LPC DHA using algae. So it gives me hope we may have a plant based option in the near future. But we still need human clinical trials. (Pretty dense article) www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1158348/full

[@KST9182]

Simon, 👍 I’ve improved my -5.75 x 2 vision to now -3.0 x 2 via my new eating & exercise changes over a few years… it can be achieved, I’ve done this. 👏

[@GreenishSloth]

Simon has definitely jumped on the Omega-3 supplementation bandwagon. I have yet to find solid evidence that the Omega Index has any practical meaning, and there seems to be an avalanche of industry-connected studies pushing supplementation based on plasma concentration tests. Population studies show that vegans have a lower incidence of AMD, which may be because of lower saturated fat consumption or something else entirely. Vegans often have comparatively higher levels of DPA levels derived from higher ALA consumption. Studies are showing a direct inverse correlation between DPA and AMD, but DPA is not included in the Omega Index, likely because it is not easy to produce commercially. So, vegans in general, have better longevity, lower cardiovascular disease, lower risk of dementia, and lower risk of AMD, yet there is this constant push for EPA/DHA supplementation to reach higher Omega Index values, even though there is no good evidence that it provides a direct benefit...

[@TheProofWithSimonHill]

You could well be right and I’m clear my position is precautionary based on imperfect evidence. There is evidence people w/o CVD who have low low fish intake have better cvd outcomes with added DHA/epa supplementation (vital study). It’s not implausible that CVD benefits of a vegan diet are driven by the low saturated fat content, high fibre content, lack of heme iron etc. and that adding DHA/epa could improve outcomes further. And when it comes to neurological outcomes we don’t have a lot of good outcome data. Here’s a recent paper worth looking at: PMID: 39098708

[@GreenishSloth]

@@TheProofWithSimonHill Thank you for the thoughtful reply and for the Adventist study. I mostly agree with you, but diverge on Omega-3 supplementation and the value and validity of the Omega Index. In addition to the shaky evidence supporting supplementation, there is considerable, even if often ignored evidence that supplementation increases LDL cholesterol especially in metabolically healthy people. This is one example: A randomized, crossover, head-to-head comparison of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid supplementation to reduce inflammation markers in men and women: the Comparing EPA to DHA (ComparED) Stud

[@Ded-Ede]

How are eye transplants coming along?

[@ReeseDaBeast808Tyga]

How is the "minus" translated 20/20 etc

[@DoctorEyeHealth]

The minus or Diopters used to describe the power of the lenses needed to correct refractive error does not directly correlate to the visual acuity or "20/20", however there is a general guideline where every 0.25 diopters is equal to about 1/2 to 1 line of acuity. So someone who is -1.00 may be closer to 20/50 vision or so (again rough estimate there). Here is a video that explains what 20/20 really means and how to make sense of it - hope it helps -kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4GYm5mPg5mHj9U

[@Arugula100]

Doesn't eating too much animal protein cause dry eyes?

[@DoctorEyeHealth]

There may be a link. I have been trying to find research specifically linking the two. There are some publications supporting diets rich in more fruits and veggies are better for dry eye (for naturally anti-inflammtory reasons as well as gut microbiome reasons)

[@bartstienen4161]

Hi Simon 🤗 Love your work 👍 there is a school of perfect eyesight which is part of Sri Aurobindo's ashram. Myopia can be reversed, it takes time but it can be done.. the elongation of the eyeball can be corrected with eye yoga, where you look straight ahead and breath in while at the same time you move the eyes up while keeping the head still.. keeping the tension at the top for a second and breath out coming back to the looking forward and this is repeated looking down, coming back, looking to the left , coming back, to the right, coming back and then diagonaly as well.. this is repeated 3 to 5 times and in combination with a subscription which is 0.25 less it gives the more supple eye muscles and the eyes to get adjusted to a lower subscription.. I had -7.0 and am now at -3,5 but this took years with perfect sleep, exercise (cardio), good nutrition, sunlight exposure and stress management ( tension is detrimental to eyesight) It is easier to to wear glasses or contacts haha 😅 but like so much in this society, things healthwise out of balance are managed instead of taken care of at the root cause. Symptoms are treated like causes because on the short term there can be results with patch work while durability is only reached by taking care of the root causes of imbalances but this takes time, work and discomfort which most of us are not willing to endure.. ❤

[@scottharrison5734]

My sister needed reading glasses at 36yrs old still have perfect eyesight no grey hairs mid forties eat lot of organic free range eggs eggs have lot nutrients that help bodey processes

[@jakobw135]

Why didn't you interview an OPHTHALMOLOGIST instead?