By Shandong Science And Technology Press (1985)
Night blindness occurs usually in children with deficiency of vitamin A. It is frequently induced with starvation, indigestion, diarrhea or high fever.
Symptoms and Signs:
The sight is good by day or with good illumination, but deficient at night or with reduced illumination. The external appearance and fundus of the eye are normal.
Treatment
A Points: the primary points are Ganshu, Jingming, Zusanli, Sifeng and Zhongwan may be associated for the case with diarrhea; Dazhui and Hegu are adapted for the cases with high fever.
B Procedure: scrape the needle in Jingming, Zhongwan, and Tianshu after insertion, Puncture Sifeng with three-edged needle. In puncturing Dazhui, lifting and thrusting are used in manipulating needle. For other points, twisting and twirling are provided. The retaining of the needle for all above points must be very quick. Acupuncture is given once daily till cure.
C Case example:
Patient Zhang, male 8 years of age.
General weakness, loss appetite, desquamation and dryness of skin, loss of brightness of hair, bulging of abdomen, night sweating, diminishment of visual acuity in the evening since 3 days before visiting O.P.D. Patient’s sight is good by day.
Malnutrition and night blindness were diagnosed. Then once acupuncture given daily in the following points: Jingming, Ganshu, Zusanli, Sifeng, and Zhongwan with manipulation described above. Patient was encouraged to take more sheep’s liver and was cured after 5 acupuncture.
Remarks
Night blindness was called “Que Mu Zheng” or “Ji Mang Yan”.
The old medical classic “Golden Mirror for Original Medicine” explains that Que Mu Zheng is a disease, blind in the night and bright in the daytime, which is similar to a bird in the evening. Patient can easily look downward but difficult upward. Liver-wind and fire-evil make the disturbances of both pupils.
The pathogenesis suggested in “Essentials of Ophthalmology”, Liver-asthenia once injured by evil heat, channel stasis appears. Yin and Yang become unbalanced and incommunicable between Rong and Wei presented. Thus, visual acuity is disturbed in the night.
The method for treating night blindness was devolved in ancient medical paper “Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion”, patient of infantile Que Mu can not see anything in the night. Moxibustion may be given 1 inch proximal to the thumb nail, point Neiling and transverse hairline on the skull respectively with one moxa-cone each.
Modern experiences also prove that acupuncture is very useful in treating night blindness. The principles for selecting points are reinforcing liver, promoting circulation, expelling channels and regulating spleen and stomach functions.
Jingming is a local point of the eye, which is used to expel the channels surrounding eyes, thus circulation may be promoted and phlegm is eliminated.
Puncturing the Zusanli may invigorate the function of spleen and stomach, and also increase the appetite. Those are the radical remedies.
Puncture of Ganshu may invigorate the liver function and blood circulation.
Since the blood is stored in the liver, deficiency of blood in liver may thus cause blindness. Penetration of Dazhui, Hegu etc. may expel the wind-heat, which is useful for treating night blindness.