Dr. Meenal Agarwal is a board-certified optometrist and leading authority on the eye-brain connection, redefining vision as a key driver of cognition, longevity, and overall well-being. She integrates optometry, neuroscience, and lifestyle medicine to address the root causes of visual dysfunction, with a special focus on neurovisual health in today’s digital world. A successful entrepreneur, she owns three optometry practices in the Greater Toronto Area and hosts the podcast Uncover Your Eyes: The Truth About Health & Wellness, empowering audiences to see health more clearly—inside and out.
In this episode, Dr. Meenal Agarwal reveals how our digital lifestyle may be reshaping our eyes and brains in real time—narrowing our visual field, disrupting spatial awareness, and even influencing anxiety and learning. We explore why kids are developing vision patterns we’ve never seen before, how the simple 20-20-20 rule can re-train the eyes, and why foundational habits like sunlight, movement, and peripheral stimulation matter more than expensive tools or biohacks. From blue light and red light to the truth about contacts, sunglasses, and OCT scans, this episode reframes eye health as a gateway to understanding the nervous system, emotional regulation, and whole-body wellness.
Top 3 Takeaways:
1. Our visual systems are being reshaped by modern life.Prolonged screen time narrows our visual field and reduces peripheral stimulation, leading to issues with depth perception, balance, attention, and even emotional regulation. This shift is contributing to a pattern Dr. Meenal identifies as “spatial awareness processing disorder,” especially in children growing up on devices.
2. Foundational habits matter more than expensive interventions.
Outdoor time, natural light, movement, eye breaks, and real-world sensory engagement outperform most programs or biohacking devices. Eye health is built from consistent, everyday lifestyle choices that support oxygen flow, circadian rhythms, and neurological development.
3. The 20-20-20 Rule is a non-negotiable habit for screen users.
Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to reset the visual system. This habit is especially important for children, teens, and anyone who struggles with reading fatigue, anxiety while driving, head pressure, screen sensitivity, or motion/coordination issues.
This reduces digital eye strain by:• Relaxing the ciliary muscle that controls focus• Expanding peripheral awareness beyond the narrow digital gaze• Supporting tear film stability and reducing dryness from reduced blinking• Training the eyes to shift distance and depth, which screens interrupt
How to Connect with Dr. Meenal:
Practice Website (book an appointment): https://www.drmeenal.com/
Instagram: @dr.meenal.agarwal
Free Newsletter: Link in bio on her Instagram profile
Podcast: Uncover Your Eyes: The Truth About Health & WellnessListen here: https://www.drmeenal.com/uncover-your-eyes-with-dr-meenal/
Keep an EYE out for her upcoming book launch!