Fix Eye Strain and Blurry Vision: Visual Hygiene & Optic Biohacks | Claudia Muehlenweg

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If you’ve noticed your vision getting worse, more eye strain, more dryness, more blurriness, this conversation is going to expand the way you think about eye health. I sat down with Holistic Vision Coach Claudia Muehlenweg for a deep dive into why eyesight declines and what may help support healthier vision habits over time.

Claudia shares her personal story of being put in glasses at three years old, then becoming glasses-free as a teenager, only to have her vision decline again during a high-stress season later in life. What I appreciate about her perspective is how she frames healing as non-linear. Your body is dynamic. Your life is dynamic. And what worked in one season may need to evolve as your stress load, habits, and nervous system state change.

One of the most important themes of this episode is stress. Claudia argues that chronic stress is a major driver behind vision decline, and we talk about what that means practically. Stress changes breathing, tightens muscles, dilates pupils, narrows peripheral vision, and keeps you in a constant “focus” state. When you combine that with modern screen habits, reduced blinking, and near-point strain, it becomes a perfect storm for dry eyes, fatigue, and blurry vision.

We also get practical. Claudia shares tools like palming (resting the eyes in warmth and darkness), building better “visual hygiene,” using natural light intentionally, and even changing how you talk about your vision. We also touch on nutrition, blood sugar and A1C, and why long-term eye health is connected to the whole body.

A few of my favorite things we cover in this episode: 

• Claudia’s personal story: glasses at age 3, bullying, and becoming glasses-free again after retraining her vision
• Healing isn’t linear: vision improved, declined again during stress, then improved again with recommitment
• The #1 driver behind declining vision: chronic stress and nervous system tension
• Screen use isn’t automatically the culprit, but most people don’t practice good “visual hygiene”
• Blinking + dry eyes: how quickly tear film thins and why screens reduce blinking
• Near point strain: eye muscles engaged up close, relaxed in distance, and why we weren’t designed for constant near work
• Tunnel vision vs peripheral vision: why stressed states narrow vision and reduce peripheral awareness
• Practical tools: palming, resting eyes, “color of the day,” language shifts (“I’m blind without my glasses”), and attention training
• Light sensitivity: stress dilates pupils, increases sensitivity, and why gradual light exposure matters
• Night vision: rods vs cones, darkness adaptation, and why we don’t give our eyes time to adjust
• Nutrition notes: glucose/A1C and cataracts, lutein/zeaxanthin, omega-3s, and gut-eye axis
• Her framework: refractive errors vs binocular/fusion issues vs eye disease (cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration)
• Her “strains and gains” concept: what drains you vs what energizes you, and how it impacts vision
• Results examples: cataracts improving alongside A1C improvements; fox dystrophy case delaying surgery

Products & Resources Mentioned:  

• Claudia’s website: naturallyclearvision.com
• Blue light blocking glasses: RA Optics
• Screen software: f.lux and Iris

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Happy listening, and we hope you learned a little bit more on the art of being well!

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In Health,

Dr. Will Cole