DR. BRYCE APPELBAUM IS REDEFINING VISION

And It Has Nothing to Do with Glasses

COURTNEY MCGEE

2025

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When most people think of vision problems, they think of blurry eyesight — a quick trip to the optometrist, a prescription for glasses or contacts, and back to business. But Dr. Bryce Appelbaum wants to flip that script entirely. As a neuro-optometrist, founder, and CEO of MyVisionFirst, he’s not just correcting eyesight — he’s unlocking human potential through the powerful and often overlooked connection between the brain and the eyes.

“Eyesight is a symptom. Vision is brain,” Dr. Appelbaum says. “What most people don’t realize is that the vast majority of vision problems are actually brain problems — and when you address them at the source, the results are life-changing.”

Dr. Appelbaum sat down with TereZa Hakobyan-Lolli and Anthony Lolli, Editors-in-Chief of longevity and wellness platform Biohack Yourself, for an interview for the influential upcoming women’s health documentary, “sHEALed,” to share how functional vision training can improve learning, mental performance, sports, attention, and even emotional well-being. His mission: to make brain-based vision care as fundamental as dental hygiene or physical fitness — especially in a screen-saturated world that’s rapidly eroding our visual health.

The sHEALed Documentary is the sister documentary to Biohack Yourself, which became a massive success after exploding on the scene in December 2024 and ignited a firestorm of interest in information focused on health and longevity. Biohack Yourself features 114 prominent and respected high-profile politicians, doctors, bestselling authors, Ph.D.s, M.D.s, scientists, chemists, inventors, biotech investors, and world-renowned academics. Stemming from the success of Biohack Yourself, TereZa Hakobyan-Lolli and Anthony Lolli have grown Biohack Yourself Media to become the number one resource for health news, publishing over 500 articles ranging from breaking news to peer reviewed content.

A New Definition of Vision

Dr. Appelbaum explains that “vision” and “eyesight” are not the same thing. Eyesight refers to the clarity of what you see — often fixed with glasses. Vision, however, is about how your brain interprets and processes visual information.

“Vision is how we derive meaning from our environment, how we move through space, how we interact with people,” he says. “It’s our dominant sense and it integrates all our other senses.”

From tracking and depth perception to spatial awareness and visual memory, vision affects nearly every aspect of human experience — yet most traditional eye exams barely scratch the surface.

From Struggling Student to Visionary Doctor

Dr. Appelbaum’s passion is personal. As a child, he struggled with sports, reading, and social engagement due to undiagnosed visual developmental delays. His eyes couldn’t focus, track, or team properly — leaving him overwhelmed and misunderstood.

“I felt like a turtle retreating into its shell,” he recalls.

Fortunately, his parents sought help outside the mainstream. Years of vision therapy — retraining his brain to use his eyes effectively — transformed his life.

“Everything changed — my academics, my confidence, my coordination. I knew then I wanted to help others the way I had been helped.”

Who Can Benefit? Everyone from Children to CEOs

While Dr. Appelbaum sees children with learning difficulties, his patients also include professional athletes, post-concussion patients, and adults looking to sharpen their cognitive edge.

“We work with everyone from Olympic athletes to executives,” he says. “Whether it’s reading better, reacting faster, or thinking more clearly, functional vision training makes a measurable difference.”

His approach focuses on performance training for the eyes and brain — using tools like virtual reality, eye-tracking software, and sensory integration exercises. And it’s not just theory. Over a decade of patient data shows that people of all ages can rewire their brain-eye connection with targeted protocols.

Screen Time Is the New Pandemic

Dr. Appelbaum sounds the alarm on the visual toll of modern digital life.

“We’re in a screen time pandemic,” he warns. “Humans weren’t designed to stare at flat, glowing rectangles all day.”

Excessive screen use leads to visual stress, eye strain, headaches, disrupted sleep, and even metabolic dysfunction. It can also contribute to nearsightedness, which is rising at unprecedented rates in children.

His rule of thumb? For every hour on a screen, spend an hour outside in natural light — a key factor in preventing myopia and supporting healthy visual development.

The Hidden Connection Between Vision and Learning

Many children labeled with ADHD, dyslexia, or learning disabilities may actually have undiagnosed visual processing disorders. Symptoms include skipping lines, reversing letters, difficulty with reading comprehension, and lack of focus.

“There’s no blood test for dyslexia. It’s diagnosed based on behaviors — many of which are identical to functional vision problems,” Dr. Appelbaum explains. “We’ve helped kids misdiagnosed for years by simply getting their eyes and brain to work together.”

Through intensive training, students improve reading speed, comprehension, and focus — without the need for medication.

Women’s Vision Needs Are Overlooked

Women are uniquely affected by visual issues, especially during hormonal changes such as pregnancy, menopause, and monthly cycles. These fluctuations can impact corneal shape, tear film quality, and visual stability.

“Women are more likely to develop dry eye, and yet this is rarely addressed,” he says. “They’re also more likely to be dismissed when they report visual symptoms after head injuries.”

Dr. Appelbaum urges women to advocate for comprehensive vision care, especially after concussions, which often result in long-term visual deficits that go untreated.

Performance Enhancement for Athletes and Professionals

Functional vision is a major edge for athletes. Dr. Appelbaum has worked with teams from every major sport to improve depth perception, reaction time, and peripheral awareness.

“Athletes are told to ‘keep your eye on the ball’ — but nobody teaches them how,” he says. “We can.”

He also trains professionals to process information faster, reduce screen fatigue, and improve memory retention. For those looking to upgrade their mental performance, vision training is the next frontier in biohacking.

The Tools of Transformation

Patients work with Dr. Appelbaum through a variety of programs:

In-person intensives: A week-long immersive experience at his clinics in Maryland, followed by at-home training.
Virtual reality programs: Customized VR games that improve visual processing and eye teaming.
ScreenFit: A remote, self-paced course designed to minimize screen-related symptoms and improve visual stamina.
Digital performance glasses: Therapeutic lenses that support the eyes during screen use — especially valuable for children.

He also champions Ortho-K (orthokeratology), a safe, FDA-approved contact lens therapy for children that reshapes the cornea overnight and slows myopia progression.

“We can literally prevent worsening vision — and no one’s talking about it,” he says.

Action Items for Better Vision and Brain Health

Here’s what Dr. Appelbaum recommends to optimize your visual system:

Take breaks: Use the 20-20-20 rule — every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Get outdoors: Aim for at least 90 minutes a day of natural light exposure.
Check for symptoms: Headaches, fatigue, poor reading, and lack of focus may be visual issues — not behavioral.
Try digital performance lenses: Especially for kids on screens, these can reduce stress and prevent decline.
Train the mind’s eye: Visualization, imagination, and spatial memory can all be developed — at any age.
Don’t let a diagnosis define you: Lazy eye, astigmatism, and even nearsightedness can often be improved.

A Message of Hope

Dr. Appelbaum is clear: vision problems don’t have to be lifelong sentences.

“We don’t have to get stronger glasses every year. We don’t have to accept declining cognitive function with age. We can take charge of our visual health — and unlock parts of ourselves we never knew were limited.”

Check here for information about the upcoming spring 2025 edition Biohack Yourself Magazine, where the team at Biohack Yourself Media dives deeper into their insights on biohacking, longevity and cutting-edge wellness strategies. Biohack Yourself Magazine is the first peer-reviewed longevity publication with international distribution across the U.S. and Canada, bringing science-backed health optimization, functional medicine and performance-driven breakthroughs to a broader audience. Pick up a copy at major retailers, including Barber & Noble, Books-A-Million, Publix, Kroger, Indigo/Chapters, and select fitness gyms and pharmacies.