Acupuncture and Eye Disease

By Young Yi, LAc, DOM

Acupuncture can help preserve vision for those with a wide range of eye conditions including macular degeneration, glaucoma, eye floaters, dry eyes, night blindness, cataracts and more.

Acupuncture is based on ancient Chinese tradition. A licensed acupuncturist inserts tiny needles into specific points on the body. These points are typically on the “meridian” lines, which is where specific flows of energy travel in the body. Unbalanced meridians and blocked energy can damage health over time.

Western medicine typically prescribes a specific treatment for a specific disease, usually based on relieving symptoms and managing health problems. The Chinese perspective is that imbalances in specific body systems cause disease, and that if these imbalances get corrected over time, one’s full health can be restored.

For chronic conditions, the patient usually gets acupuncture once or twice per week until they see sufficient results. For acute conditions, treatments may be more frequent.

When the macula begins to break down in the elderly, there is often little that Western medicine can offer except “wait and see,” particularly for eye diseases such as dry macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt’s disease, rod-cone dystrophy, and others. Treatments typically include injections, steroid drops and laser treatments in cases of retinal bleeding and/or eye edema. Underlying energy imbalances and nutritional deficiencies that contribute to or cause eye disease need to be considered as well.

Medical research in the state of Virginia has found that acupuncture can be very effective in helping patients with macular degeneration, tunnel vision, night blindness, and glaucoma.

If you’re experiencing vision loss, it is imperative to see a doctor immediately. It’s also worth your time to find an acupuncturist who has experience treating vision loss, to see if their services can help facilitate recovery.