Screens, Cataracts, and Sleep: What an Eye Surgeon Wants You to Know

IntroIn this episode of Next Phase Human, Dr. Rasham Sandhu sits down with Dr. Sandeep S. Walia, a Harvard trained cataract and refractive surgeon who serves as chief medical officer and owner of West Coast Eye Institute in Bakersfield. They cover the real truth about screen time and vision, why cataracts are unavoidable, and what is actually driving the dry eye epidemic, then close with a look at where eye care is headed next.Topics CoveredDr. Walia's path from stand up comedy and an MBA to Harvard trained eye surgeryWhether eyes are aging faster today than in past generationsBlue light, smartphones, and what the data actually showsWhether staring at screens really damages children's visionThe difference between optometry and ophthalmologyLASIK, PRK, and SMILE, and how to know which fits youComplications, age limits, and whether vision can regress after LASIKLight adjustable lenses and what is coming next in refractive technologyWhich eye supplements and foods are backed by real dataWhy every person will eventually develop a cataractWhat speeds up cataract formation, from smoking to steroids to UV exposureThe many contributors to dry eye, from air conditioning to hormones to contact lens useHow sleep quality affects eye health, including a look at red light therapyThe silent eye diseases that can progress without obvious symptomsFloaters and retinal tears, and when they are actually an emergencyRapid fire verdicts on coffee, sunglasses, eye vitamins, and moreThe most common regret he hears from patientsHis top advice for protecting eyesight for lifeMentioned in EpisodeAREDS2 (Age-Related Eye Disease Study) supplement formulaAtropine eye drops for myopia controlLight adjustable lens (LAL) technologyLipiflow and IPL (intense pulse light) for dry eye treatmentWhoop and Eight Sleep, mentioned by Dr. Sandhu for his own sleep trackingAn Australian study on iPad reading and next day sleep qualityConnect with Dr. Sandhu California Cardiovascular Institute | cacvinst.com