Due to the popularization of electronic products and the lack of attention to eye health, the number of nearsighted primary and secondary school students has been increasing in recent years. The speed of myopia in children is accelerating, and experts suggest that children with myopia below 300 degrees can try acupuncture therapy.
Treating Myopia Early, Pseudo-Myopia Can Be Cured
Nearsightedness is generally divided into pseudo-myopia, true myopia, and mixed myopia. Pseudo-myopia is caused by excessive eye strain, resulting in continuous contraction and spasm of the ciliary muscle, increased thickness of the lens, and blurry vision.
Pseudo-myopia is a functional myopia. It can be relaxed and relieved by using medication, acupuncture, ear acupuncture, and physical therapy instruments, or by strengthening eye muscle exercises. If pseudo-myopia is not relieved in a timely manner, the eyeball will be under long-term pressure from tense extraocular muscles, eventually leading to elongation of the eyeball and true myopia.
Causes of Myopia
"In addition to local refractive errors in the eyes, there are also constitutional factors that cause myopia." Wang Xilin said, for example, mental strain can deplete the heart yang and hinder the upward flow of yang qi, resulting in sluggishness of the eye's blood vessels. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the liver is connected to the eyes, and the liver and kidneys share the same source of essence and blood. Therefore, chronic illness and overwork can also lead to deficiency of the liver and kidneys, resulting in insufficient essence and blood. Combined with prolonged close-up work, causing spasms of the eye muscles and congestion of blood vessels, eventually leading to myopia.
Acupuncture Treatment for Myopia
Acupuncture treatment involves stimulating certain acupoints with needles to relieve and regulate muscle fatigue and spasm. By adjusting the function of the organs and meridians through acupuncture, once the qi and blood are sufficient, visual function can be improved and restored to a certain extent.
Acupuncture treatment for myopia mainly targets acupoints around the eyes, limbs, and back. By stimulating these acupoints, it promotes meridian circulation, enhances qi and blood flow, and tonifies the liver and kidneys. In addition to acupuncture, ear acupressure is also used to improve blood circulation in the eyes, increase eye nutrition, and enhance the therapeutic effect.
Consistency is Key in Acupuncture Treatment for Myopia
Dr. Wang Xilin mentioned that many parents bring their children to try acupuncture treatment for myopia during the winter and summer breaks, and when they achieve the expected results, they often think that their children's myopia has been cured and stop the treatment. Some parents give up the idea of acupuncture treatment for myopia because they don't see significant results after one or two sessions.
In fact, these are all incorrect. Dr. Zhao Mingfeng explains that acupuncture treatment for myopia aims to nourish the eyes through regulating the meridians and qi and blood throughout the body. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment emphasizes the balance of yin and yang, which is not like taking medicine where you can see obvious results after taking a pill or stop taking it when the symptoms disappear. It requires long-term adjustment and consolidation.
Adaptation of Acupuncture Treatment for Myopia
Acupuncture treatment for myopia is suitable for individuals aged 8 to 16 with myopia below 300 degrees, especially those with a significant decline in vision in a short period of time and patients with pseudo-myopia. Wang Xilin reminds that the treatment effect is not obvious for patients over the age of 16, with myopia reaching 600 degrees, and those with a family history of myopia.
