6 Eye Health Protocols

Vision is the sense people are most afraid of losing… but hardly anyone knows there are protocols to keep your eye health sharp.

Part of the problem is that the standard advice (wear sunglasses, eat carrots) is too vague to act on. And the highest-impact protocols for long-term eye health are rarely framed as eye protocols at all.

Here are 6 things the evidence supports doing to protect your vision.

#1. Exercise

Exercise helps almost every organ in your body. Eyes included.

One study found that people who met baseline exercise guidelines (~150 min of moderate activity/week) had a 47% lower risk of developing glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness worldwide.

Exercise lowers intraocular pressure. This is the fluid pressure inside your eye and the number 1 modifiable risk factor for glaucoma.

Aerobic exercise also appears to protect against age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which causes blurred vision and loss of central vision.

A 15-year study found people who exercised at least 3 times a week were 70% less likely to develop one type of AMD.

#2. Wear proper UV-protective sunglasses

Sun exposure is a risk factor for:

• cataracts
• AMD
• eye cancer
• eye growths

The fix isn't to just wear sunglasses.

Bad sunglasses may be worse for your eyes than not wearing sunglasses at all. Dark lenses dilate your pupils and stop you from squinting, allowing more UV light to reach ocular tissues.

The real fix: Get sunglasses that provide UV400 or 100% UV protection.

#3. Eat for the eyes

Prioritize lutein, zeaxanthin, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Lutein and zeaxanthin are types of carotenoids, or natural yellow-orange pigments.

They:

• support retinal health and visual clarity*
• are found in Advanced Antioxidants, corn, eggs, salmon, kale, spinach, yellow and orange bell peppers, and carrots (there's some truth to that carrot advice)

DHA is a type of omega-3 fatty acid and the main fatty acid in the retina. It:

• supports clear vision and long-term eye health*
• is found in fatty fish (like salmon, sardines, and mackerel) and in omega-3 supplements

#4. Get regular eye exams

Glaucoma, AMD, and diabetic retinopathy (an eye disease linked to diabetes) are largely asymptomatic until they've already done damage.

Eye exams can catch them when they're still treatable.

Here's an eye exam schedule from the American Academy of Ophthalmology's 2026 guidelines for adults with no known risk factors:

• under 40: every 5-10 years
• age 40-54: every 2-4 years
• age 55-64: every 1-3 years
• age 65+: every 1-2 years

People with diabetes and those with a family history of glaucoma should screen more often than the baseline schedule.

#5. Improve cardiovascular health

The same systems that protect your heart (controlled blood pressure, stable blood sugar, healthy lipids) protect your vision.

Hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol can damage blood vessels in the retina, cause blurry vision and macular degeneration, and contribute to cataracts and glaucoma.

Longevity interventions stack. Nothing you do for your cardiovascular system is wasted on your eyes.

Follow heart-healthy protocols like:

• eating whole foods, including fruits, veggies, legumes, lean proteins, and whole grains
• exercising for at least 150 min (work your way up to 6 hours a week)
• getting 7-9 hours of sleep
• monitoring biomarkers like blood pressure, HbA1c, and cholesterol, and taking steps to lower them if needed

#6. Don't rely on the 20-20-20 rule

Look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes. This is the 20-20-20 rule. It's a good guideline… but it's not a cure-all for digital eye strain.

What else helps:

• screen position: Position your computer screen ~4-5 inches below eye level, measured from the center of the screen.
• longer breaks: Take a 15+ min break after 2 hours of screen time.
• blinking: Blink rate can drop by ~70% when looking at a screen. Blink fully and deliberately to minimize your risk of dry eyes.

What's Bryan doing?

Bryan is measuring 15 biomarkers important to eye health, including:

• osteoprotegerin
• osteopontin
• IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17A, IL-17F
• TNF-α, MMP-9, TIMP-1, IL-10
• TGF-β, SOD, GDF-15, β-NGF

Two pieces of paper go into Bryan's eyeballs to absorb tear production, which we can use to quantify the molecular environment.** Things like active inflammation, tissue degradation, and regenerative signaling.

We'll then look at eye health protocols and use the results to track progress.

We'll share what we learn. In the meantime, the above protocols can help you protect your eyes and keep your vision sharp.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

**Do not attempt to put pieces of paper into your eyeballs without the advice and supervision of a licensed ophthalmologist.