By Shandong Science And Technology Press (1985)

It is a chronic infectious disease caused by the virus. It is a very important infection on account of its disastrous complications and squaclae, which are responsible for many cases of partial or total blindness.

Symptoms and Signs

In mild cases, there is slight foreign body sensation in the eyes and the discharge is usually small in amount. Those of severe cases are feeling of stimulation sensation and much discharge associated with photophobia, lacrimation, inversion of lids and eyelashes. Corneal ulcer may also complicate.

Treatment

A Points: penetrate Sizhukong toward Yuyao, or Zanzhu toward Yuyao; puncture Sibai toward Jingming. Fengchi and Hegu penetration also required.

B Procedure: pinch up the skin around the point with the thumb and index finger of left hand, then insert the needle rapidly toward the other point. Twirl or scrape the needle.

Twirling the needles for the points of Fengchi and Hegu only.

Acupuncture is given once daily till cure.

For all points mentioned above needles should be retained in short duration.

C Case example:

Patient Song, a female, 65 years of age, a housewife.

Patient suffered from trachoma for 10 years. The symptoms were various with time and became more severe in recent days. Photophobia, lacrimation and itching of eyes were associated.

Examinations revealed trachoma II O.S. III O.D., inversion of eye lashes, much discharge was present. Patient’s symptoms were diminished after acupuncture given twice and almost after 5 remedies.

Remark

Trachoma belongs to the class of “Jiao Chuang” or “Su Chuang” in Chinese traditional medicine, which also reported its pathogenesis, symptology and treatment.

Ancient medical book “Essentials of Ophthalmology” considered: “Congestion of lids for years causes growth of Feng Su on the lips … heating of the stomach and the spleen causes growth of Feng Su, then gradually becomes a size of rice even a shape of red bay berry. Those granular substances rub the pupil of eyes.” The treatments for it are puncturing the granules with needle … iron it if possible, better result will be presented. Much symptoms and signs had been in old medical books as follows in this disease, there are granules (as chestnut) on the lids which are caused by evil in the lungs, heat in the large intestine and wind in the liver.

From the review above, it is known that the pathogenesis is related to the following factors: evil heat in Yangming, evil accumulated in lungs, liver-heat stirring inside, gall-bladder fire moving upward and obstructing the channels, blood stasis etc. The principles of treatment therefore are clearing the heat, detoxification, promoting the blood circulation and eliminating phlegm.

Puncture of Zanzhu, Sizhukong, Sibai and Jingming may expel the local channels and eliminate phlegm.

Puncture of Fengchi may clear the wind-heat of the head region. Hegu is a primary point of large intestine channel. Lungs and large intestine are superficial and internal to each other. Puncture of Hegu can purge Yangming evil heat and detoxicate the evil in the lungs. Therefore, prescription given above is useful to treating trachoma.