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The Berne Podcast with Dr. Sam Berne cover art

The Berne Podcast with Dr. Sam Berne

The Berne Podcast with Dr. Sam Berne

Written by: Dr. Sam Berne - Holistic Eye Health
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 Welcome to The Berne Podcast, a thought-provoking and informative journey with Dr. Sam Berne, an expert behavioral optometrist, and holistic health practitioner. Delve deep into the world of functional vision, eye wellness, and natural solutions for common and complex vision issues. Each episode explores Dr. Berne’s unique physical vision therapy protocols, integrating natural and holistic techniques to improve eye health, enhance vision, and support overall well-being. Whether you’re curious about functional vision therapy, seeking non-invasive ways to care for your eyes, or want to learn more about natural approaches to eye health, this podcast offers valuable insights for practitioners and individuals alike. Join Dr. Berne for engaging discussions, expert interviews, and actionable advice that will inspire you to see the world in a whole new way—naturally and holistically. Alternative & Complementary Medicine Hygiene & Healthy Living
Episodes
  • The Reduced Prescription Puzzle: Understanding the Adaptation Period

    The Reduced Prescription Puzzle: Understanding the Adaptation Period
    Nov 17 2025
    In today’s Q&A episode, I answer a heartfelt question from a mom whose son is struggling to adjust to his reduced nearsighted prescription. We talk about why reduced lenses can initially feel uncomfortable, how the visual brain adapts, and what you can do to support a smoother transition. If you’ve wondered whether a weaker prescription is right for your child—or why adaptation sometimes takes longer—this episode will give you clarity and confidence. Transcript: Sam Berne (00:00.961) Hey everybody, it's Dr. Sam and I'd like to welcome you to the podcast. So I received a question from a mom who I'm working with her son who's got nearsightedness. This is a very interesting question. So I gave him a prescription that reduces his myopia and she said that he's having a hard time adjusting to the prescription that is creating eye strain and his eye muscles hurt and she wants to know What she can do to tell him to get used to the prescription. Well, it's interesting because when you're presented with a reduced prescription, Your eyes should relax. Basically, any reduced prescription is saying, can I let go with my muscles and can I release and relax? Now in this particular case, there's two possible scenarios going on. The first is that and this is very common with people that start wearing reduced prescriptions. They start feeling their eye muscles more and they start feeling this area. Whereas before it was very a very unrealized area meaning they had no awareness of it. And so when you wear something that's less tight, Guess what happens all of that tightness that you've absorbed over years of the strong prescription. You feel that so it's showing you what's already there. It's not causing it, but the relaxation potential is showing you the tension that you've been carrying for a long time. The second part of this is It's not the prescription that's causing the eye tension. It's the attitude and habits that we bring to the prescription that creates the eye tension. So this means that we're so used to having it clear that when we're given a softer prescription and it's a little on the soft blurry side, we immediately want to get rid of it by squinting and straining. Sam Berne (02:23.638) So we're back to our old habits again. Yeah, exactly. So the reduced prescription is going to confront the habit of you wanting to squint and strain and muscle it. So what I told the mother is just invite the child to wear this reduced prescription at near at the 14 inches, maybe maybe 20 inches at the most. But don't try to wear it in the distance for now. I mean the prescription was prescribed for near vision to begin with and it can be a big jump and kind of disorienting. If you get this reduced prescription and you have the expectation that it should be clear in the distance. Now what will happen over time is that if you get used to the reduced prescription, you'll notice that your distance acuity improves. And you know, you're there when you then put on the strong prescription and you start getting a headache. You start feeling the eye ache and you go, wow, this is what I used to wear all the time. And now I'm aware that it's too tight for me. It's too strong for me. And you know, I have to say that in my years of practice, I would reduce so many prescriptions during the exam and people actually saw more clearly because the way the eye exam is done, you're going to overcorrect people. You're going to make the lens too strong. Sam Berne (04:05.985) And you know, this really speaks to some of the adults that have chronic things like flashing lights or posterior vitreous detachment or even some, you know, retinal lattice degeneration, all those retina problems. If you are nearsighted, your prescription is too strong for you. And if you start wearing something less, the retina heals the flashing lights start to reduce and eventually go away. So you don't have that traction.
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    6 mins
  • The Eyes Never Lie: Vision, Trauma & the Path to Inner Seeing

    The Eyes Never Lie: Vision, Trauma & the Path to Inner Seeing
    Nov 10 2025
    For even more from Dr. Sam, check out his new exclusive membership where you get access to my content and resources, new information, articles, videos, webinars: https://drsambernesmembership.com/ And his upcoming workshops: https://www.drsamberne.com/workshop/ Learn more about his pracititioner's program "Your eyes are more than visual organs. They are emotional and neurological pathways that reflect your **life history**, your **nervous system**, your **relationships**, and the ways you’ve learned to protect yourself. In this presentation, Dr. Sam Berne shares his personal journey of healing his own vision, and what he discovered about the connection between **trauma, grief, stress, and visual function**. You’ll learn how the eyes adapt to emotional overwhelm, how vision changes during loss and transition, and why restoring visual clarity often begins with restoring **safety** in the body and nervous system. We will also explore the rapidly emerging world of **virtual and augmented reality**, how these technologies influence the visual brain, and how you can stay grounded in your natural vision system as digital environments become more immersive. This is a conversation about **healing**, **self-connection**, and reclaiming your **innate ability to see clearly**—inside and out. Opening Remarks “Welcome everyone. I’m really grateful that you’re here today. The theme of this retreat is *The Eyes Never Lie,* and that comes directly from my own experience healing my own vision. When I was younger, I had significant myopia and astigmatism. I was told that my eyes were defective—that I was simply born this way, and there was nothing I could do except wear stronger glasses over time. But that didn’t feel true. Something in me sensed that my eyes were responding to my **life**—to stress, to pressure, to trying to see more than I felt safe to see, or sometimes, not wanting to see what was in front of me. As I began to study the eyes—not just anatomically, but emotionally—I learned that **vision is not just optical. It’s neurological. It’s systemic. It’s somatic. And it’s deeply connected to our lived experience.** Trauma, grief, chronic stress, early attachment patterns—these don’t just affect our posture or our mood. They reorganize how the **visual system** functions. The eyes tighten. The focus narrows. The world becomes harder to take in. And when we soften the eyes, when we reconnect them to breath, to safety, to the body—our perception expands again. Light returns. Color returns. Presence returns. Today we are living in a world where our vision is being challenged in new ways. Virtual and augmented reality are asking the brain to process space, depth, and meaning in environments that don’t exist physically. And while these technologies are powerful, they can also disconnect the eyes from the body—and the body from the world. So today, we’re going to explore: * How **your emotional life shows up in your vision** * How I personally reversed my own prescription by working with the **nervous system**, not just the eyeball * How to gently unwind the visual patterns that come from grief, stress, or past trauma * And how to stay **centered and embodied** in a world increasingly mediated by screens and simulation. Your eyes are not broken. They are **communicating.** They are telling your story. And today, we begin to listen.” Keep Up with Dr. Sam Website: https://www.drsamberne.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamBerneOD/?fref=ts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samberneod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/drsamberne LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsamberne/ Dr. Sam Berne has been in private practice in New Mexico for over 25 years and where he works with patients to improve their vision and overall wellness through holistic methods. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Pennsylvania State University, Doctor of Optometry from Pennsylvania College,
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    25 mins
  • Eyes That Work Together: A Functional Vision Approach to Strabismus

    Eyes That Work Together: A Functional Vision Approach to Strabismus
    Nov 2 2025
    If you’re ready to deepen your journey, I invite you to join one of my upcoming programs designed to help you *see differently*: In-person workshop with Dr. Berne, November 8th: The Eyes Never Lie: https://www.drsamberne.com/workshop/t... 2 Spots remaining. 👁️ *5-Week Online Course: From Diagnosis to Direction* Begins *November 12th* | Includes a *free 30-minute private session* with me. Learn holistic tools to reduce visual stress, support regeneration, and reawaken your visual potential. 👉 [Learn More & Register](https://www.drsamberne.com/workshop/f...) 🌿 *Essential Oils for Eye Health – Master Class* *November 22nd* | Explore the science and art of using natural oils to support eye tissue and clarity. 👉 [Join the Master Class](https://www.drsamberne.com/workshop/o...) ☁️ *Membership Course: Clearing the Cloud — Reducing Cataracts Naturally* Exclusive to my membership site, this *8-week journey* teaches natural approaches to support lens clarity and light transmission. 👉 [Join the Membership](https://drsambernesmembership.com/cat...) Dr. Berne’s Kauai Retreat, February 19-24th: Link: https://www.drsamberne.com/workshop/a... Keep Up with Dr. Sam Website: https://www.drsamberne.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamBerneOD/?... Instagram: / samberneod Twitter: / drsamberne LinkedIn: / drsamberne Keywords children, patching, trauma, stress, mechanical symptom management, eye coordination Summary The conversation delves into the psychological and emotional effects of patching on children, highlighting how it can be perceived as punishment and the limitations of traditional mechanical approaches to symptom management. Takeaways Children have no context on why they're being patched. Patching can feel like a punishment to children. Long periods of patching may not be effective. Patching can add trauma and stress to children. Mechanical symptom management does not address underlying issues. Understanding eye coordination is crucial for effective treatment. Emotional support is essential during treatment. Parents should be educated about the process. Alternative approaches may be more beneficial. The focus should be on holistic treatment rather than just symptoms. Sound bites "Patching becomes like a punishment." "It adds more trauma and stress." "It has nothing to do with how to use your eyes together." Chapters 00:00 Understanding the Impact of Patching on Children 00:17 The Limitations of Mechanical Symptom Management Sam Berne (00:03.732) Okay, well, my first question is, how did you find me? Online, honestly, yes. Looking at lot of alternative methods for my daughter, and I found you. And what was it that resonated with you, with me? Sam Berne (00:29.454) Um, mostly, but I mean, there was a few things. First, I noticed you didn't wear glasses. So I thought that was, or at least most of your videos. So I thought that was already something that was different. Sam Berne (00:45.454) Yeah, you just had alternatives. And even the way you talk about some people like trying to I think you'd mentioned that prescriptions can, you know, be like a drug, and you can lean off of it. Yes. And I really like that idea. Because I think sometimes we jump a little bit too quick to to glasses. And sometimes, yeah, they just need more and more. Okay. Yeah. So What I read about your history is that in your daughter, you first noticed the eye turning at about 10 months. Is that right? And when did you actually either go to your pediatrician or ophthalmologist to have it checked out? Yeah. So I think it was like her one year appointment that the doctor, I had mentioned it and then he had said to go to an ophthalmologist. went there. It was so interesting. She had said that she didn't notice any eye turn, which is fine because it doesn't happen that often. So she didn't notice it in the appointment. she said that she's like, I don't know.
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    56 mins
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