“Our eyes are hormone-making organs,” says optometrist and integrative health coach Dr. Valerie Giangrande, and for most of us, this is nothing short of a revelation. Starting with the first strains of sunrise, the eyes take in light, send signals to our internal clock to release hormones in their intended order, so that those hormones work toward our ultimate health and healing. On today’s episode of The Quantum Biology Collective, Dr. Valerie talks with host Meredith Oke about this fascinating and complex process and how extensively the eyes influence the rest of the body.    In turn, the state of the body is often communicated through the eyes. Dry eyes, for example, can be a symptom of hydration deep at the cellular level. Dr. Valerie explains how contrary to popular belief, it is not too much sunlight but often lack thereof that accounts for common degenerative eye issues such as cataracts.    Unfortunately, so many of us spend all day looking at screens which emit a blue light that signals to the body that it’s perpetually 12:00 pm. When we do go outside, we block light from our eyes by wearing sunglasses and even glasses and contacts. Dr. Valerie reveals what we can do to eliminate daily barriers to sunlight.    Eyes are the windows to the soul and, as it turns out, to the body. Tune in to this eye-opening conversation to learn how you can optimize your daily light intake.    Quotes “We’re not just meant to see with our eyes, we have a lot of cells in our eyes that are actually waiting for specific signals of light.” (8:53 | Dr. Valerie Giangrande) “Just imagine what happens to our bodies when we’re blocking that signal. We’re not making hormones, and it’s controlling the entire body, really. And we can make some of it in our skin but even our skin, most people aren’t exposed to the sun, with our skin, either, but it’s really our eyes that are the connection, it connects our light to our bodies and helps us work. It’s the way we’re designed to be.” (13:37 | Dr. Valerie Giangrande)  “What I love about the eyes is that they are a window into the body, in the sense that everything is connected. The eyes are an extension of the skin, they have mucus membranes, there’s nerve tissue, it’s brain tissue, it’s cardiovascular tissue, it’s lymph tissue. It’s everything altogether.” (18:04 | Dr. Valerie Giangrande)  “And even if we’re in the shade, we’re still getting the benefit of that sunshine. You don’t need direct—when I say get the sun, I’m not saying stare at the sun…the sun is coming in at an angle and hitting us down here. So staring at it doesn’t work as well as just being outside because it has to hit you on an angle anyway, so that’s how we’re designed, just to be outside.” (38:01 | Dr. Valerie Giangrande)   Links Connect with Dr. Valerie Giangrande: YouTube: Quantum Eye Doc Instagram: @QuantumEyeDoc Bon Charge Discount Code: at checkout enter the code: QBC to receive 15% off https://us.boncharge.com/collections/blue-light-blocking-glasses **If you're in the US and have a Health Savings Account (HSA or FSA) BonCharge products are an eligible expense**   To receive a FREE infographic of the Ideal Circadian Day & join our email list: https://www.quantumbiologycollective.com/qbc-newsletter-aqb To find a practitioner who understands quantum biology: www.quantumbiologycollective.org To see details about the Applied Quantum Certification: www.appliedquantumbiology.com Follow on Instagram & Facebook: @quantumbiologycollecitve Twitter: @quantumhealthtv   For more information about booking with Valerie leave your email here.   Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm