Eye Brain Connection: The 5 Steps

One important concept for maintaining eye health is understanding the eye-brain connection. This pathway starts with light entering the eye and ends when your brain makes sense of the visual world around you. Disruption or damage at any point in the pathway distorts your perception. Therefore, maintaining the health of each part of the eye-brain connection pathway ensures accurate perception. Your vision accounts for around 80% of your perceptions, learning, and thinking. Maintaining your vision as you age improves your quality of life. Consider how your ability to drive, watch television, read, prepare food, walk in nature, shop, and recognize friends and loved ones enables you to live independently and passionately. At Natural Eye Care, we want you to have the best chance at maintaining healthy vision throughout your whole life.

Eye Brain Connection Pathway

The pathway from light to perception has five major steps. It begins with light entering the eye, and ends when our brain interprets the meaning of what we see. The steps are:

Step 1: Light Enters the Eye

Photons bounce off objects and enter the eye, starting the cornea. The cornea is a transparent dome-shaped structure in the center of each eye that protects delicate eye tissues. Light passes through the lens, which focuses the light. Then, it strikes the retina at the back of the eye. In the center of the retina is a tiny yellowish spot called the macula. The macula gives us sharp central vision.

Step 2: The Retina Converts Light

Photoreceptor cells in the retina are called rods and cones. They convert light into electrical signals. The rods give us vision in low lighting conditions. The cones detect color.

Step 3: Optic Nerve Transmits

The electrical signals excite the optic nerve. The optic nerve is brain tissue; therefore, nutrients that help the brain also help the optic nerve. Signals travel through the optic nerve to the back of the brain, where we process vision.

Step 4: Visual Cortex Processes

The occipital lobe of the brain contains the visual cortex. Here, the electrical signals from the optic nerve are processed and interpreted. Our brain recognizes shapes, colors, and motion.

Step 5: Integration

In this final step, the brain integrates the visual information with other sensory data (such as touch, smell, sense of balance, and hearing), and past experiences. It creates a coherent understanding of what is happening around us.

Keeping Your Eyes Healthy

Each step in the eye-brain pathway is vital for good vision. Vision is crucial for many daily activities. A breakdown at any point in the path puts good vision at risk.

Diet, exercise, living in a clean environment, and taking targeted supplements can go a long way in helping preserve healthy eye and brain function. Remember, many essential nutrients required for maintaining the health of the retinas and optic nerves can also cross the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, living a healthy lifestyle and getting proper nutrition for the eyes directly benefits the brain.

Top Foods for Eye and Brain Health

Ultra-processed foods, fast foods, and junk foods rarely contain any nutrients for the eyes and brain. To get proper foods for the eyes and brain, you need to visit the grocery store and shop for fresh produce, fish, supplements, a tea, and a spice. Below, we have listed just five foods and one nutrient that are the most important for supporting eye and brain health. We have written extensively on a much longer list of foods and nutrients in other articles. The top foods are:

Blueberries

These sweet berries contain polyphenols that support the growth of nervous tissue¹ and protect cognitive capacity.² New brains are created on an ongoing basis to replace old ones throughout life, no matter what age you are. Get blueberries fresh, frozen, or dried. Serve as a dessert with unsweetened organic yogurt, or add them to muffins and scones. Frozen wild blueberries are especially nutritious.

Curcumin

This bright orange spice induces nerve tissue growth³ and helps stop fats from oxidizing. Also called turmeric, this food helps people with neurodegenerative conditions have less neuron deterioration from free radicals⁴ Turmeric is an ingredient in many Indian dishes. You can make turmeric “golden” tea. Use turmeric in smoothies, soups and stews, and rice. Black pepper increases the absorption of turmeric.

Goji Berries (lycium barbarum)

Goji berries contain large amounts of antioxidants, and other vitamins and flavonoids. They support nerve growth,⁵ and protect against chemical-caused neurogenesis suppression.⁶ In the United States, goji berries are readily available in the dried fruit aisle, near the raisins. Eat them from the package, in trail mix, blended into smoothies and home-made juice, in yogurt and cereal, and in soups, stir fries, rice, and baked desserts. Goji berry supplements are also popular.

Green Tea

A large body of research shows green tea is a “super-antioxidant” that benefits the entire body, including the eyes. Studies suggest that green tea and its extracts may provide neuroprotective effects, particularly in the photoreceptor outer segment and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), which are crucial for maintaining healthy vision.

Oxidative stress can be a significant contributing factor to several eye diseases, including glaucoma, macular degeneration, and pterygium. Numerous studies have demonstrated the positive effects of incorporating green tea into your daily routine. Simply steep green tea bags in boiled water. Drink 2 to 3 cups a day, hot or iced.

Green Leafy Vegetables

Those green vegetables with leaves protect and support the cells and functioning in the brain. They are high in antioxidants that help protect the eyes from free radical damage. Eat spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, collard greens, bok choy, mustard greens, Swiss chard, and arugula on a regular basis.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3s are excellent for the heart and brain. They reduce inflammation, protect the brain, and enhance BDNF synthesis. BDNF, or Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, is a protein in the brain and spinal cord that plays a crucial role in the survival, growth, and function of neurons. It is involved in neuronal development, synaptic plasticity, and learning and memory. Food sources include salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, herring, flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts. If you find it challenging to get enough omega-3s, consider taking a fish oil supplement.

Common Brain Disease Shows Up in the Eye

Did you know that dementia, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, can be seen in the eyes years before symptoms develop? Early diagnosis of dementia is important for disease management and the development of future treatments. Starting in the 2010s, researchers developed evidence indicating that the retina serves as a repository for beta-amyloid plaque build-up. A 2023 study⁷ in Acta Neuropathologica offers valuable insights into how Alzheimer’s impacts the retina. The study concluded that noninvasive retinal monitoring could serve as a reliable approach for detecting and tracking the disease. A 2025 study had similar conclusions.⁸ Since the cells in the retina and optic nerve are essentially brain tissue, changes in the brain are reflected in the retina. This provides an opportunity for early intervention, particularly related to diet, exercise, and targeted supplementation.

Microplastics, Dementia, and Ultra-processed Foods

One possible contributing factor to dementia is microplastics. Microplastics are tiny plastic particles. They are fewer than 5 mm in diameter. Recent research has detected microplastics in various vital organs, including the heart and brain.⁹ A recent study determined that, on average, there is a teaspoon of microplastics in each person’s brain. ¹⁰ A small study of 12 people with dementia found their brains, post-mortem, had more than five times the average amount of microplastics. ¹¹ While more research is needed, microplastics are clearly a concern.

Four papers published in the May issue of the journal Brain Medicine¹² explain how research suggests that microplastics from ultra-processed foods may build up in the brain. It is now thought that microplastics could be a factor in rising rates of depression, dementia, and other mental health disorders around the world.

Ultraprocessed Foods are High in Microplastics

One paper hypothesizes that microplastic exposure from ultra-processed foods is contributing to the growth of a range of mental health issues. ¹³ In many countries of the world, ultra-processed foods comprise more than 50% of the calories taken in daily. These foods contain much higher concentrations of microplastics than whole foods. For example, chicken nuggets contain 30 times more microplastics per gram than chicken breast.

One study found that people who ate ultra-processed foods had a 48% higher risk of anxiety, a 22% higher risk of depression, and a 41% higher risk of poor sleep outcomes.¹⁴

Where microplastics land in the brain can affect a person in different ways. For example, if the front of the brain collects microplastics, that could result in behavioral issues. If the temporal lobes or the side of the brain collects microplastics, that could cause cognitive issues.

How to Reduce Exposure to Microplastics

• Avoid ultra-processed food. Eat natural foods instead.
• Eat plenty of fiber.
• Install a high-quality water filter.
• Avoid the use of plastic in general, including plastic food containers and water bottles.
• Use a bamboo or wood cutting board instead of plastic cutting boards.

Suggested Supplements

Advanced Eye & Vision Support Formula (whole food) 60 vcaps

Dr. Grossman’s Meso Plus Retinal Support and Computer Eye Strain Formula with Astaxanthin 90 vcaps

ReVision Formula (wild-crafted herbal formula) 2 oz

Retinal Support (wild-crafted herbal formula) 2 oz

Green Tea 60 lvcaps

Dr. Grossman’s Bilberry/Ginkgo Combination 2oz (60ml)

Dr. Grossman’s Whole Food Organic Superfood Multi-Vitamin 120 Vcaps

Dr. Grossman’s Premium Turmeric Vcaps (Organic)

Brain and Memory Power Boost 120 caps

Packages

Brain and Memory Support Package 1

Advanced Eye and Vision Support / Meso Plus Combo (3 month supply)

AMD Package 1 (3-month supply)

Dr. Grossman’s Advanced Eye and Dr. G’s Whole Food Superfood Multi120 Vcap Combo – 2 months supply 

Recommended Books

Natural Brain Support: Your Guide to Preventing and Treating Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and Other Related Diseases Naturally

Natural Parkinson’s Support: Your Guide to Preventing and Managing Parkinson’s