Sports Vision, Eye Health & Myopia | Dr. Jennifer Tsai

When I think about the patients who come into eye clinics every day — kids, athletes, high-performing adults — I picture a very familiar scene.

They can “see fine.”
They passed the school screening.
They’ve never had a major eye problem.
They assume vision is something you deal with only when it breaks.

And yet:

Their child’s prescription keeps climbing every year.
They get headaches after screens.
Their eyes burn, water, or feel gritty by mid-afternoon.
Their reaction time feels slower.
Their performance — in school, in sports, in life — isn’t what it used to be.

And they’re wondering, “Is this just screens? Stress? Aging? Or is something actually happening with my eyes?”

In a recent conversation with my friend and colleague Dr. Jen, optometrist and founder of Line of Sight Vision, we unpacked exactly this quiet, overlooked layer of health.

Dr. Jen works at the intersection of vision, performance, prevention, and regeneration — caring for everyone from young children to elite athletes, using tools like myopia control, vision training, regenerative eye therapies, and longevity-focused care.

This article is my clinic-style summary of that conversation, written in plain English, so you can understand what is happening with your eyes — and what you can actually do about it.

We Treat Vision Like It’s Static. It’s Not.

One of the biggest myths Dr. Jen sees every day is that vision is fixed.

You either “have good eyesight” or you don’t.
You either “need glasses” or you don’t.
Once you’re corrected, the story is over.

But vision is neurologic, muscular, metabolic, and environmental.

Your eyes are not just cameras.
They are living tissue.
They are wired directly into your brain.
They respond — for better or worse — to how you live.

And modern life is asking a lot of them.

The Myopia Shift Is Happening Earlier Than We Think

Dr. Jen shared a statistic that should stop every parent and clinician in their tracks:

Within the next 10–15 years, nearly half of the global population is projected to be myopic (nearsighted).

This isn’t just genetics.
This is environment.

Children today are:

• Doing intense near-work earlier

• Spending less time outdoors

• Getting less sunlight exposure

• Using screens during critical periods of eye development

And here’s the part many parents don’t realize:

Earlier myopia almost always means worse myopia later.

The eye continues to elongate.
Prescriptions climb.
Risk for retinal disease increases.

By the time a child “needs glasses,” the process is already underway.

Myopia Control: Not Just Clear Vision, But Protection

This is where Dr. Jen’s work becomes preventative instead of reactive.

She specializes in myopia control, including orthokeratology (Ortho-K) — customized lenses worn only at night that gently reshape the cornea.

What this allows:

• Clear vision during the day without glasses or contacts

• Reduced dependence on daytime correction

• Slowing of eye elongation in growing children

For young athletes, this is especially powerful:

• No glasses to break

• No daytime contacts to dry out

• Better visual confidence on the field

The earlier this starts, the more protective it can be.

This is not cosmetic.
This is long-term eye health.

Athletes Don’t Just Need “20/20”

One of the most interesting parts of our conversation focused on athletes.

Because athletic vision is not about reading letters on a chart.

It’s about:

• Depth perception

• Peripheral awareness

• Eye tracking

• Speed of focus changes

• Tear film stability

• Brain-eye coordination

Even mild dry eye or uncorrected visual strain can affect:

• Reaction time

• Accuracy

• Safety

• Confidence

Dr. Jen sees athletes whose performance improves — not because they got “better eyes,” but because they trained and supported the visual system they already had.

Yes, You Can Train Your Eyes

We accept that muscles can be trained.
That balance can be trained.
That reaction time can be trained.

Vision is no different.

Dr. Jen uses vision therapy tools like:

• Near–far focus drills

• Convergence exercises

• Peripheral awareness training

• Eye–hand coordination work

These techniques help the brain process visual information more efficiently — something that matters deeply in both sports and academics.

For kids who struggle with reading fatigue.
For adults who feel visually “fried” by screens.
For athletes who rely on split-second decisions.

Screens, Dry Eye, and the Eyelid Problem No One Talks About

Many patients come in saying:
“My eyes water all the time.”
“They burn.”
“They feel tired.”

They’re surprised to learn this is often dry eye disease — and that it usually starts in the eyelids, not the eyeball.

When we stare at screens:

• Blink rates drop dramatically

• Oil glands clog

• Tears evaporate faster

• Inflammation builds

Watery eyes are often a sign of irritation, not moisture.

Dr. Jen treats this upstream — supporting lid health, tear quality, and inflammation control — instead of just handing out drops.

Regenerative Eye Care: Healing, Not Just Managing

One of the reasons I loved this conversation is that Dr. Jen thinks long-term.

Her clinic isn’t just about fixing symptoms.
It’s about restoring tissue health.

She works with therapies like:

• Amniotic membrane lenses for corneal healing

• Nerve-supportive treatments

• IPL and radiofrequency for chronic lid inflammation

• Regenerative approaches that support longevity of the eye

This matters because the eye is delicate — and once damage accumulates, repair is harder.

Prevention changes the trajectory.

Why Eye Health Reflects Whole-Body Health

Eyes don’t exist in isolation.

Dr. Jen emphasized that the eyes often show:

• Diabetes changes early

• Vascular disease early

• Inflammatory stress early

• Neurologic issues early

The retina is one of the few places we can directly visualize blood vessels and nerves in real time.

Which means eye care is not just about sight.
It’s about systemic health surveillance.

A Different Model of Care

Like many physicians, Dr. Jen eventually realized that the traditional model:

• Short visits

• Reactive care

• “You’re fine until you’re not”
  wasn’t serving patients — or clinicians.

She built Line of Sight Vision intentionally:

• Time to educate

• Space to prevent

• Tools to regenerate

• Community built on trust (not ads)

Social media didn’t make her practice superficial.
It made it sustainable.

Patients arrived informed, engaged, and invested in their care.

What You Can Do — Right Now

This doesn’t require perfection or panic.

For parents:

• Get comprehensive eye exams, not just school screenings

• Ask about myopia progression, not just prescriptions

• Prioritize outdoor time

For athletes:

• Don’t ignore visual fatigue

• Address dry eye and tracking issues early

• Consider vision training as part of performance care

For adults on screens all day:

• Blink intentionally

• Support eyelid health

• Don’t normalize eye discomfort

For everyone:

• Treat vision as living tissue

• Think preventatively

• Find clinicians who look beyond the chart

A Grounded, Hopeful Takeaway

What I appreciate most about Dr. Jen’s approach is that it’s not extreme.

It’s rooted in:

• Physiology

• Prevention

• Thoughtful use of modern tools

• Respect for how interconnected the body really is

If you or your child are:

• Watching prescriptions climb

• Struggling with screen-related eye strain

• Feeling like something is “off” but not dramatic

• Wanting to protect vision long-term

You’re not overthinking it.
And you’re not too early.

Early is exactly the point.

You can learn more about Dr. Jen’s work at Line of Sight Vision, and find her educational content on social media at @DrJenandJuice, where she shares approachable, science-based insights on eye health, performance, and longevity.

Because seeing well isn’t just about clarity.
It’s about staying connected, capable, and confident — for decades to come.