Eyes and vision

Western Slow changes in the retina, macula or optic nerve, the living nerve tissue that turns light into sight.

Classical 木 Read through the Liver, which opens into the eyes, and the Kidney essence that feeds the deepest layers of the eye.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western Wear on the macula, the center of the retina that handles reading, faces and fine detail, in a dry or a wet form.

Classical 水 Read as the Kidney and Liver running low on the yin and blood that nourish the eye, often with a Spleen layer of damp.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western Gradual damage to the optic nerve that thins side vision first, often linked with pressure inside the eye.

Classical 木 Read as Liver yang or constrained heat rising to the eyes, on a root of Kidney essence that is running low.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

Western A group of inherited conditions in which the retina's light cells slowly fail, starting with night vision and side vision.

Classical 水 Read as an inherited shortfall of Kidney essence, the deepest reserve, with Liver blood unable to keep the eye fed.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

Western Damage to the retina's small blood vessels from years of high blood sugar, which can leak, bleed or grow abnormally.

Classical 水 Read as a late branch of wasting-thirst: yin worn thin by heat, qi tiring, and blood stalling in the fine vessels of the eye.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Scalp acupuncture

Western An inherited condition, usually from the ABCA4 gene, in which waste builds up under the macula and central vision fades young.

Classical 水 Read as the same Liver and Kidney root as age-related macular change, depleted early because the shortfall is inborn.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Macular and cone-rod dystrophies

Western Inherited conditions that wear down the macula or the cone and rod cells, each tied to a different gene.

Classical 水 Read through the inborn Kidney essence and Liver yin, with Spleen damp or blood stasis where material builds up.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western An inherited condition that affects hearing, and often balance, together with retinitis pigmentosa in the eyes.

Classical 水 Read as an inborn Kidney essence shortfall: the Kidney opens into the ears and its essence feeds the depths of the eye.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Optic nerve atrophy

Western Loss of fibers in the optic nerve after damage from pressure, poor blood flow, inflammation, compression, injury or genes.

Classical 水 Known in the classics as clear-eye blindness, 青盲, and read as Liver and Kidney depletion, often with blood stasis.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

Western Inflammation of the optic nerve, often with loss of its myelin coating, that dims sight in one eye and hurts on eye movement.

Classical 木 The acute phase reads as Liver and Gallbladder fire or constrained heat; recovery and recurrence turn to Liver and Kidney yin.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

NAION (ischemic optic neuropathy)

Western A sudden loss of blood flow to the front of the optic nerve, often noticed on waking as painless loss of part of the view.

Classical 木 Named sudden blindness, 暴盲, and read as blood stasis in the vessels of the eye on a root of Liver and Kidney depletion.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

Retinal vein and artery occlusion

Western A blocked vein or artery in the retina that cuts off or backs up blood flow and can blur or remove part of the view.

Classical 火 Read as blood stasis blocking the fine vessels of the eye, usually on a background of rising yang, phlegm or weak qi.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Scalp acupuncture

Western Fluid leaking from the layer under the retina and pooling beneath the macula, often during stress or steroid use.

Classical 土 Called tinted vision, 視瞻有色, and read as stressed Liver qi overacting on a Spleen that no longer moves fluid.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Acupuncture

Western Fluid building up in the macula, the center of the retina, as a result of another eye or body condition.

Classical 土 Read as the Spleen failing to transform and move fluid, often with the Kidney, heat or blood stasis behind it.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Scalp acupuncture

Macular pucker (epiretinal membrane)

Western A thin sheet of scar-like tissue on the macula that can wrinkle it, so straight lines look wavy and central sight blurs.

Classical 水 Read as phlegm and blood stasis settling in the Water Wheel, often over Liver blood that no longer nourishes the eye.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Retinal detachment recovery

Western The retina lifts away from the layer that feeds it. It needs urgent surgery, and recovery goes on long after the repair.

Classical 土 Called 視衣脫落, the visual membrane coming loose: center qi that cannot hold, and stasis left behind by the injury.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture

Floaters and vitreous detachment

Western Shadows from clumps in the vitreous gel. Often harmless, but a sudden shower with flashes needs a same-day eye exam.

Classical 木 Called clouds and mist before the eye, 雲霧移睛, and read as thin Liver blood or turbid damp in the eye's inner water.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western Thin, fragile patches at the outer edge of the retina. Usually silent, but with a raised risk of tears and detachment.

Classical 水 Read as Liver blood and Kidney essence too thin to nourish the edge of the retina, with Spleen qi that holds tissue weakly.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture

Western The tear film stops protecting the eye's surface, from too few tears or a poor oil layer that lets them evaporate too fast.

Classical 金 Read as dryness from thin Liver yin or Lung yin, or as damp-heat clogging the lids when the oil glands block.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

Western The eye's natural lens slowly clouds, bringing blur, glare and faded color. Surgery replaces it when vision is affected.

Classical 水 Called a round screen inside the eye, 圓翳內障, and read as Liver and Kidney depletion with turbid damp clouding the lens.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western Inflammation inside the eye, in the iris, the middle layer or the back of the eye, that needs prompt treatment to protect sight.

Classical 木 Called 瞳神緊小, the pupil drawn tight, and read as Liver and Gallbladder fire, wind-heat with damp, or yin-deficient heat.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Myopia (nearsightedness)

Western The eye brings distant light to a focus just in front of the retina, usually because the eyeball has grown slightly too long.

Classical 木 Called 能近怯遠, able to see near but timid at a distance, and read as Liver blood and Kidney essence spent by long near work.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Acupressure, Master Tung's acupuncture

Lazy eye (amblyopia)

Western In childhood the brain learns to favor one eye and turns down the signal from the other, so that eye sees less clearly.

Classical 水 Read as the essence and blood that build the eye and brain falling short during growth, often with a weak Spleen behind it.

Often with Scalp acupuncture, M48 eye acupuncture, Acupressure

Western Discomfort or pain from ordinary light, a symptom shared by migraine, dry eye, eye inflammation and concussion.

Classical 木 Read as eyes left unbuffered by thin Liver blood, or stirred up by heat and phlegm in the Liver and Gallbladder.

Often with Acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western Tired, dry, blurry eyes and neck strain from long hours of close screen work, focusing hard and blinking less.

Classical 木 Read as Liver blood spent by hours of looking, with stress constraining Liver qi in the neck and temples.

Often with Acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture, M48 eye acupuncture

Pink eye (conjunctivitis)

Western Inflammation of the thin clear layer over the white of the eye, caused by viruses, bacteria or allergy.

Classical 金 Read as wind-heat attacking from outside, Liver fire flaring upward, or damp-heat when discharge is thick and the lids heavy.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western The cornea's inner pump cells slowly fail, so it holds water and swells, causing blur that is often worst on waking.

Classical 木 The cornea is the Wind Wheel of the Liver; swelling and clouding read as fluid the Spleen and Kidney no longer move.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture

Western Temporary visual disturbances, such as flickering zigzags or blind spots, from migraine activity in the brain or, rarely, the eye.

Classical 木 Read as Liver yang rising with wind, Liver qi constraint, or blood too thin to nourish the eyes and head.

Often with Acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture