By Shandong Science And Technology Press (1985)

Cataract is a condition of any opacity of lens and is a common eye diseases.There is neither nerve nor blood vessel in the lens. The nutrition of lens depends upon aqueous humor, which nourishes the lens through its capsule, thus the metabolism of lens is retained. Any condition disturbing the lens metabolism (e.g. inflammation, trauma etc) may cause opacity of lens.

Cataract may be present in any year of age but more in senile.

Symptoms and Signs:

According to the time of attack, cataract may be divided into two types – congenital and acquired. Acquired cataract mostly occurs in senile age. Cataract may also be caused by trauma. Adolescent cataract and cataract due to other disease may be also present.

The opacity of lens may look like flower of date or as oil floating on the water. The margin of opacity is usually clear. The range of disturbance in vision is various with location opacity.

Treatment:

A Points:
Group 1: Jingming, Yangbai, Fengchi, and Hegu
Group 2: Qiuhou, Taiyang, Yiming, and Binao

B Procedure:

Adapt two group points alternately for each seven days, which are recorded as a therapeutic course. The internal between courses is 2 ~ 3 days. Remedy is given once daily. The manipulation of needles is same as in pathological changes of optic nerve, retinopathy and acute conjunctivitis. All manipulation should be quick.

C Case Examples:

Case 1.

Oct 3, 1964, O.P.D. patient Ke, male 37 years old, a cadre.

There was a piece of white opacity on the right upper on the right lens, sized as a date flower with clear margin. Vision much disturbed when looked to the right. Patient received treatments in past half year in a hospital but did not cure and he was advised to treat with acupuncture therapy in author’s O.P.D. Jingming, Yangbai, Fengchi, Hegu were penetrated once daily with quick manipulation. Lens opacity disappeared after 5 treatments given. No recurrence in 10 years.

Case 2.

Nov 7, 1965, O.P.D. patient Li, male, 11 years old, a student.

There was a small area of lens opacity in the medical lower portion of left lens, looking as a new moon, the color was whitish with clear margin. Patient’s visual acuity was much disturbed.

Treatments were given as above. Two groups of points adapted alternately, one group for each course with the internal of 3 days. Remedy was given once daily. Lens opacity much diminished after 5 courses of treatment.

Remarks:

Cataract is a modern medical term, which is much like “Yun Wu Yi Jing” in its initial stage and “Yin Nei Zhang” or “Yuan Yi Nei Zhang” in the mature stage, in Chinese traditional medicine. “A Precious Bood of Opathalmology” described: “The diseased (cataract) area is white in color, various in size and thickness. Patient feels there is some moving substance in his visual field.” The pathogenesis has also been described in same book, which is much similar to the description in modern medicine.

Since there is no blood vessel, nerve and active cells in the lens, some medical books consider that there is no metabolic activity in the lens and its pathological change is passive in nature and this treatment is therefore very difficult, only extraction may be performed.

In contrast with above, there has been much more understanding about cataracts and much experience has been obtained in treating this disease in the field of Chinese traditional medicine.

A report of acupuncture treatment for cataract presented by Zhong Shan Medical College has represented that the therapeutic efficiency in 43 cases (80 eyes) was 73.7% (59 eyes). The results of Guangxi Worker’s Hospital in 24 cases (32 eyes) were: 8 eyes cured, markedly improved 11 eyes, mildly improved 9 eyes and no effect in 4 eyes.

Reports described above indicated that acupuncture therapy to treating cataract is very appreciable.

Chinese traditional physicians thought that aqueous humor is the vital liquid in the eye, which is resulted from the accumulation of Qi which is the functional activity of organs and metabolism is also included there.

In fact, vitreous body is a part of the body and has its own metabolism but much lower than the others.

Acupuncture therapy may excite the function of the various part of the eye, disperses the channels around the eye and promote the local metabolism. Treatments given above are beneficial to the absorption of cloudy substances in case of cataract.