Finding Relief for Dry Eyes Through Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

Dry, gritty, irritated eyes have become one of the most common complaints among patients today — and for good reason. Whether you spend long hours in front of screens, live in a dry or windy climate, or are navigating the hormonal shifts of perimenopause and beyond, dry eye syndrome can significantly affect your quality of life. Blurry vision, a burning or stinging sensation, light sensitivity, and the paradoxical symptom of watery eyes (a reflex response to dryness) are all hallmarks of the condition. Conventional treatments often provide temporary relief but don’t always address the underlying reason your eyes stopped producing adequate moisture in the first place.

At Makari Wellness, serving patients in Oceanside and San Diego, we take a whole-body approach to dry eye relief using acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine. Rather than masking symptoms, our goal is to understand why your body’s fluid-producing capacity has become compromised — and to support it from the inside out.

What Chinese Medicine Says About Dry Eyes

In Chinese medicine, the eyes have a direct and intimate relationship with the Liver system. Classical texts describe the Liver as “opening into the eyes” — meaning the health of your eyes is a direct reflection of the health of your Liver blood and Liver yin. When either is deficient, the eyes lose their nourishment and moisture, and dryness, strain, or blurred vision follow.

Tears themselves are understood through the lens of Jin Ye — the body’s essential fluids. Chinese medical texts describe Jin Ye as “an all-inclusive term for all fluids in the body, including tears, saliva, sweat, blood, and joint-lubricating fluids.” From this perspective, dry eyes are not simply a local problem with the lacrimal glands. They reflect a broader pattern of fluid insufficiency that may be affecting multiple systems at once.

There are several common Chinese medicine patterns that can contribute to dry eye symptoms:

Liver Blood Deficiency: Blood is responsible for moistening and nourishing every tissue in the body, including the delicate structures of the eye. When Liver blood is insufficient — whether from chronic stress, poor diet, overwork, or blood loss — the eyes are among the first tissues to show signs of dryness and fatigue. Classical descriptions of blood deficiency include a pale, lusterless complexion, dizziness, and a thready, weak pulse alongside symptoms like eye dryness and strain.
Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency: Yin is the cool, moistening, nourishing counterpart to yang. As we age — or when we run ourselves down through chronic stress and poor sleep — yin reserves diminish. This is especially common in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. Dryness of the eyes, mouth, and skin together with sensations of heat, night sweats, and restlessness are hallmarks of yin deficiency.
Spleen Qi Deficiency with Damp Accumulation: The Spleen governs the transformation and transport of fluids throughout the body. When Spleen function is compromised — often by irregular eating habits, worry, or overwork — fluids can accumulate as pathological dampness in some areas while other tissues go dry. Eyelid heaviness, puffiness, and fatigue alongside dry or irritated eyes may point to this pattern.
Liver Qi Stagnation Generating Heat: Prolonged emotional stress, frustration, or suppressed emotions can cause Liver qi to stagnate and generate internal heat. This heat can rise upward to the eyes, consuming fluids and producing a burning, red, or irritated quality to the dryness.

Understanding which pattern — or combination of patterns — is driving your symptoms allows your practitioner to select acupuncture points and, where appropriate, herbal formulas that are specific to your situation rather than generic to the diagnosis.

How Acupuncture Supports Eye Health

Acupuncture works by stimulating specific points along the body’s channel system to regulate the flow of qi and blood, support organ function, and encourage the body’s own healing processes. For dry eye patients, treatment typically combines points local to the eyes with distal points that address the underlying constitutional pattern.

Points around the orbital rim and along the face can increase local circulation to the eye socket, support the lacrimal glands, and reduce muscle tension that contributes to eye strain. These are used with fine, sterile needles and are far less intimidating than they may sound — most patients find eye-area needling surprisingly comfortable.

Equally important are distal points that nourish the root cause. Points on the Liver and Kidney channels along the lower legs and feet are frequently used to build yin and blood when deficiency is the primary pattern. Points on the Spleen channel support fluid metabolism. Points along the back and neck regulate the nervous system and reduce the chronic tension that can interfere with circulation to the head and eyes.

Research into acupuncture for dry eye syndrome is still growing, but published studies have shown promising results in improving tear film stability, increasing tear secretion, and reducing subjective discomfort scores. While we make no claims about guaranteed outcomes, many patients notice meaningful changes in eye comfort, moisture, and reduced dependence on artificial tears over the course of a treatment series.

Herbal Medicine and Lifestyle Support

Acupuncture works even more effectively when combined with Chinese herbal medicine tailored to your pattern. Classical formulas that nourish Liver blood and yin — such as those centered on herbs like goji berry (gou qi zi), chrysanthemum (ju hua), and rehmannia (shu di huang) — have been used for centuries to address eye dryness rooted in deficiency patterns. Your practitioner will assess whether herbal support is appropriate for your situation and health history.

Lifestyle guidance is also an integral part of care. Practical recommendations may include:

Screen hygiene habits, including the 20-20-20 rule and conscious blinking
Dietary suggestions to support blood and yin — particularly foods rich in omega-3s, dark leafy greens, and adequate hydration
Sleep and stress management strategies, since chronic sleep deprivation and emotional stress are among the most reliable ways to deplete the yin and blood that the eyes depend on
Guidance on wind and environmental exposure, which in Chinese medicine is understood to dry and damage the eyes directly

What to Expect at Makari Wellness

Your first visit at Makari Wellness begins with a comprehensive intake that goes well beyond your eye symptoms. We want to understand the full picture of your health — your sleep, digestion, energy levels, stress, menstrual history if applicable, and any medications or supplements you’re taking. This context is essential to identifying the pattern that best explains your dry eyes and to ensuring that any treatment we offer is safe and appropriate for you.

Initial treatment sessions typically last 60 to 75 minutes, with follow-up appointments running 45 to 60 minutes. Most patients with dry eye conditions related to deficiency patterns benefit from a series of six to ten treatments, though some notice improvement within the first two or three visits. Your practitioner will reassess your progress at each visit and adjust the treatment plan as your pattern evolves.

We work collaboratively with your other healthcare providers. If you are currently under the care of an ophthalmologist or optometrist, we encourage you to maintain that relationship — acupuncture and Chinese medicine are integrative, not a replacement for appropriate conventional eye care.

You Don’t Have to Live With Constant Eye Discomfort

Dry, strained, and irritated eyes are not simply an inconvenience to manage with eye drops. In Chinese medicine, they are a signal that something in the body’s deeper ecology — its fluids, blood, and organ function — deserves attention. If you are ready to explore a whole-body approach to eye health that has supported patients for generations, we invite you to Schedule Your Initial Visit with our team at Makari Wellness in Oceanside or San Diego and take the first step toward lasting comfort and clarity.

Specialized Training in Ophthalmological Acupuncture

Not all acupuncturists are trained to treat eye and vision conditions. Ophthalmological acupuncture — like neurological rehabilitation and stroke recovery acupuncture — is a distinct specialty within the field, requiring advanced post-graduate clinical training that goes well beyond standard acupuncture licensure. When seeking acupuncture for an eye or vision condition, it is important to work with a practitioner who has received specific training in this area.

Michael Woodworth, L.Ac., is one of a small number of practitioners in the United States certified in Micro Acupuncture 48 (M48) — a specialized microsystem developed by Dr. Andy Rosenfarb, L.Ac., N.D. M48 maps the entire body to 48 acupuncture points located on the hands and feet, offering a precise, targeted approach to treating degenerative and inflammatory eye conditions including macular degeneration, glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy, and optic nerve conditions. M48 certification represents a level of clinical focus that distinguishes its practitioners from general acupuncture practice — and Michael is among the few in Southern California who hold it.