27 mins
Sep 30, 2026
Real Health with Karl Henry. Can nutrition protect your eyes and brain as you age?
It was a special evening in Dublin as more than 20 years of research into nutrition, vision and brain health came to the big screen for the Irish premiere of A Vision for Vision at the Light House Cinema.
The documentary, directed and produced by two-time Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Wayne Chesler, follows Professor John Nolan’s research journey and explores the increasingly important relationship between nutrition, the eye and the brain — and what this connection could mean for how we protect our health and quality of life as we age.
The premiere brought together people from across Ireland’s health, science, education and research communities for an evening of film, discussion and conversation.Hosted by Moya Doherty, with Clare McKenna as MC, the evening continued after the screening with a live discussion featuring Professor Nolan and Wayne Chesler, offering audiences an opportunity to hear more about the story behind the documentary and the research that inspired it.
For Professor Nolan, the evening represented an important step in bringing scientific research beyond the laboratory and into a much wider conversation.
“For me, this film is ultimately about taking the research beyond the scientific community and making it relevant and accessible to everyone.”
His research journey began with a focus on eye health and has evolved over more than two decades to explore the connection between nutrition, vision and brain health, including cognition, Alzheimer’s disease and healthy ageing.
“We are all living longer, and the goal shouldn’t simply be more years, but more years with good vision, good cognitive health and a better quality of life,” Professor Nolan said. “I hope this film helps people understand that the choices we make throughout our lives can play an important role in how well we age.”
A Vision for Vision is a documentary for everyone — for mothers of young babies, for athletes, for those of us who yearn to age well with our sight and minds in good health. The storytelling is compelling, the science remarkable — a must see!
The film combines science, nature and technology to tell a highly visual and deeply human story. The journey takes audiences from marigold fields in Mexico to research facilities in Waterford, the nutrient-rich waters of Norway and Singapore, where the visual performance of elite athletes is explored.
The Dublin premiere provided a fitting setting for that message, bringing the story back to Ireland and to the research environment where much of Professor Nolan’s work has developed.
His work on macular carotenoids and omega-3s has contributed to a growing understanding of the role nutrition can play in eye health, while his research has increasingly expanded into the wider relationship between the eye, brain and cognitive health.
The Dublin premiere marked the beginning of the film’s next stage, with international screenings scheduled in the United States and Mexico before its planned release across a number of major streaming platforms later this year.
Watch the trailer and find details of upcoming screenings and international releases at avisionforvision.com or by signing up to the newsletter below.
