116: What Screen Time Is Really Doing to Your Eyes, Brain, and Stress Levels
Hormones, Metabolism & You!Show Notes
One of the most overlooked aspects of health may be influencing how you think, learn, focus, perform, and even respond to stress every single day. In this episode, I sit down with neuro-optometrist Dr. Bryce Appelbaum to explore the difference between eyesight and vision, and why seeing 20/20 doesn't necessarily mean your visual system is functioning optimally. We discuss how the eyes and brain work together, the role vision plays in learning, reading, athletic performance, spatial awareness, and everyday confidence, and why many functional vision problems often go unrecognized.
We also spend time talking about something that affects nearly all of us: screen time. Dr. Appelbaum explains what prolonged screen exposure is doing to our visual system, nervous system, sleep, stress response, and overall well-being.
Topics We Cover in This Episode:
How eyesight and vision are related, and why they're not the same thing
The subtle signs that may point to an underlying functional vision problem
Why screen fatigue may involve much more than tired eyes
What vision has to do with focus, learning, reading, and information processing
The connection between visual function, stress, and nervous system regulation
Why some people struggle with motion sickness, bridges, tunnels, or spatial awareness
How vision training differs from traditional eye care approaches
Simple daily habits that may help support long-term visual health
Whether you're a parent, athlete, professional, avid screen user, or simply interested in optimizing your health, this conversation offers a fascinating perspective on the connection between vision and whole-body wellness.
Resources & Links
📚Get the Free Vision Health Guide: www.screenfit.com/5-proven-secrets-to-relieve-eye-strain
📝Free Vision Assessment: www.myvisionfirst.com/quiz
🫰🏻 $200 off ScreenFit™ using code DRCASSIE at screenfit.com/enroll
😎 10% off Digital Performance Lenses using code DRCASSIE at shop.myvisionfirst.com
If you want to check out ScreenFit™ to see the exercises DrB talks about firsthand, you can log in with a backstage pass here.
📲 Follow Dr. Bryce Appelbaum
Instagram: @drbryceappelbaum
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@drbryceappelbaum
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myvisionfirstoptometry
Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-bryce-appelbaum/
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.bryceappelbaum
Order Dr. Cassie’s Book ‘Fix Your Gut, Fix Your Hormones’: https://guthormonefix.com/
Use code LISTEN10 for 10 % off your order on shopmodernendocrine.com
📲 Follow Dr. Cassie Smith & Modern Endocrine
💻 Website: https://www.modern-endocrine.com/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modernendocrine_/
🌟 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ModernEndocrine
📽️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@modernendocrine
🕹️ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@modernendocrine?lang=en
📰 Newsletter: https://linktr.ee/modernendocrine
➡️ Disclaimer: https://www.modernendocrineokc.com/disclaimer-6353
More from Hormones, Metabolism & You!
Dr. Anna Cabeca joins me to talk about why so many midlife women are told their labs are normal while they feel exhausted, foggy, and out of step with their own bodies. We talk about what shifts in perimenopause, how falling progesterone and insulin resistance can show up as everyday symptoms, and why Dr. Cabeca treats hormone imbalance as a metabolic question first.
What if I told you right now, this very moment, your body is carrying a chemical load that you have never been tested for, never been warned about, and never asked for? In this episode, I’m joined by Nick Pineault, author of The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMF and creator of the documentary Body Burden: The Toxins We Carry, to talk about what “body burden” actually means and how the chemicals we encounter through our food, water, air, plastics, household products and technology may intersect with hormones, metabolism and overall health.
Dr. Monisha Bhanote joins me to talk about cellular health and resilience, and why fatigue, brain fog, digestive issues, and other everyday symptoms may be signals from our cells rather than things we should simply accept. We talk about her approach to cell care, cellular consciousness, and why health practices need to be personalized rather than copied from the latest trend.
What happens when you’re doing all the “right” things for your hormones and health, but you still don’t feel better? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Neil Nathan to explore why underlying factors like mold, Lyme disease, inflammation, nervous system dysregulation, and detoxification challenges may complicate treatment.
Testosterone in women is finally getting more attention, but what does that actually mean for women and their care? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Terri DeNeui to discuss the FDA’s focus on testosterone, why there still isn’t an FDA-approved testosterone treatment specifically for women, and the questions surrounding safety, dosing, and access.