Clinical Manifestations
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- Cataract is the term for clouding of the lens of the
eye; if the cloudiness is sufficient to inhibit transmission
of images to the retina, then vision is partly or fully
obstructed. Mild cloudiness, the most common condition
associated with cataracts, does not need surgical intervention
for correction, but can often be compensated for by using
corrective lenses; more severe cloudiness is usually
treated by surgery, removing the original lens and replacing
with an artificial lens.
Cataract surgery is part of ancient medical arts; it
was one of the earliest of surgical procedures, even
in the Orient, traced back over 2,000 years. It is likely
that the reliance on surgery had the effect of limiting
efforts to develop non-surgical treatment methods; similarly,
it is likely that non-surgical methods that had been
tried were relatively unsatisfactory, making surgery
seem an appropriate alternative. Therefore, when examining
suggested non-surgical treatments, one should be careful
about expectations for dramatic effects on vision. Further,
when reviewing treatment options, cataracts should be
differentiated from "nebulae" which are described
as clouding the vision but refer to films that form on
the surface of the eye (cornea).
Cataracts occur most often in the elderly-sometimes referred
to as senile cataracts which affect 25% of those over
the age of 65. They are especially common in those with
diabetes. Some drug therapies induce cataract formation.
Nearly 1.5 million cataract surgeries are performed in
the U.S. each year.
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Treatment Principle |
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Herb Formulas |
- Excessive Tearing: San
Ren Tang
- Chinese Patent Medicines:
Shi Hu Ye Guang Wan
Ming Mu Di Huang Wan
Zhu Jing Wan
Qi Ju Di Huang Wan
Ba Wei Di Huan Wan
Ci Zhu Wan
Nei Zhang Ming Yan Wan
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Points |
- UB-1, UB-2, GB-1, GB-37, ST-1, ST-36, LIV-4, KI-3, SP-6, SJ-6, REN-4
- Group 1: GB-14, GB-20, LI-4, UB-1
- Group 2: LI-14, Qiuhou, Taiyang, Yintang
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