Sparrow vision

Also sparrow blindness; night blindness. Reduced visual acuity in poor lighting. Distinction is made between the earlier-heaven type, called high-altitude wind sparrow-vision internal obstruction, and a later-heaven type, called liver vacuity sparrow-vision internal obstruction, which is due to splenic movement and transformation failure and gān disease ascending to the eyes.

Biomedical correspondence: vitamin A deficiency; pigmentary degeneration of retina.

Medicinal therapy: For the earlier heaven type, warm and supplement kidney yáng using Right-Restoring [Life Gate] Pill (右归丸 yòu guī wán). For the later heaven type, kill worms and disperse gān; fortify the spleen and boost qì. Use variations of Chubby Child Pill (肥儿丸 féi ér wán). Include pig’s liver in medication or diet.

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on back transport points, LR, SI, and BL. Main points: BL-18 (Liver Transport, 肝俞 gān shù), BL-23 (Kidney Transport, 肾俞 shèn shù), LR-2 (Moving Between, 行间 xíng jiān), BL-1 (Bright Eyes, 睛明 jīng míng), GB-37 (Bright Light, 光明 guāng míng), and SI-6 (Nursing the Aged, 养老 yǎng lǎo); needle with supplementation and add moxa.

• For the earlier heaven typen, add GV-4 (Life Gate, 命门 mìng mén), CV-4 (Pass Head, 关元 guān yuán), and KI-3 (Great Ravine, 太溪 tài xī), to warm and supplement kidney yáng.
• For the later heaven type, add BL-20 (Spleen Transport, 脾俞 pí shù), CV-12 (Center Stomach Duct, 中脘 zhōng wǎn), and ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ) to fortify the spleen and boost qì, and Hundred Worm Nest (百虫窝 bǎi chóng wō) to kill worms.

Etymology

Chin 雀 què, sparrow; 目 mù, eye, vision.