[Introduction]
Acute conjunctivitis usually appears in the spring and summer. It is infectious or epidemic. The clinical mani-festations are conjunctival congestion, mucous or suppura-ting secreta and tendency of fulminant spreading. Acute conjunctivitis is usually caused by retention of exogenous wind-heat and seasonal virulent factors in the meridians and stagnation of fire; or by exuberant liver and lung fire attacking the eyes along the meridians.
[Syndrome differentiation]
1. Pathogenic wind-heat. Redness and swelling of eyes, photophobia and epiphora, sensation of foreign ob-ject, excessive secretion of eyes, even swelling and burn-ing pain of the eyelids and hyperemia of bulbar conjuncti-va, accompanied by headache, fever, nasal discharge, sore throat, red tongue with yellow fur and rapid pulse.
2. Exuberance of liver and gallbladder fire: Involve-ment of the pupil, photophobia and epiphora, blurred vi-sion, irritating sensation in the eyes and ciliary hyperemia, accompanied by bitter taste in the mouth, dry throat, uncomfortable fullness in the chest and hypochon-dria, retention of dry feces, red tongue with yellow fur, taut and rapid pulse.
[Treatment]
1. Body acupuncture
Prescription.. Taiyang (EX-HN 5), Jingming (BL 1 ) and Hegu (LI 4).
Modification: For pathogenic wind-heat, Fengchi (GB 20), Waiguan (TE 15) and Quchi (LI 11) are added; for exuberance of liver and gallbladder fire, Taichong (LR 3), Qimen (LR 14) and Xiaxi (GB 43) are added; for headache, Shangxing (GV 23) is added; for sore throat, Shaoshang (LU 11) is added; for hyperemia of bulbar con-junctiva, Geshu (BL 17) is added; for constipation, Zhigou (TE 6) is added.
Performance: The acupoints are needled with fili-form needles and reducing needling technique. Moxibus-tion is not used. Taiyang is pricked for bloodletting. Be-fore needling Jingming (BL 1), the acupuncturist advises the patient to close the eye and push the eye ball to the lateral side and the right hand inserts the needle 0.5 – 1 cun into the acupoint with mild rotation and without appli-cation of lifting-thrusting technique. When the needle is withdrawn, the acupoint is pressed with finger. Fengchi (GB 20) is needled obliquely 0.8 1 cun toward the nose tip. Qimen (LR 14) is needled obliquely or horizontally 0.8 - 1 cun.
2. Ear acupuncture
Prescription: Eye (LO5), Liver (CO12), Lung (CO14) and Large Intestine (CO7).
Performance: Each time 2 - 3 acupoints are selected and needled with medium stimulation. The needles are re-tained for 30 minutes. The ear tip is pricked for bloodlet-ting. The needling is done once a day. Or Wangbuliuxing-zi (Semen Vaccariae) is used for ear acupressure alterna-tively on the ears. The patient is advised to press the ears 3 - 4 times a day and 2 - 3 minutes each time.
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