Acupuncture for Glaucoma-Seeing is believing...

Glaucoma usually occurs when pressure in your eye increases. This can happen when eye fluid isn't circulating normally in the front part of the eye. 

Normally, this fluid, called aqueous humor, flows out of the eye through a mesh-like channel. If this channel becomes blocked, fluid builds up, causing glaucoma. The direct cause of this blockage is unknown, but doctors do know that it can be inherited, meaning it is passed from parents to children.

Less common causes of glaucoma include a blunt or chemical injury to the eye, severe eye infection, blockage of blood vessels in the eye, inflammatory conditions of the eye, and occasionally eye surgery to correct another condition. Glaucoma usually occurs in both eyes, but it may involve each eye to a different extent. Reports also indicated some of the medications for allergy may also contribute to the increase of the intraocular pressure (IOP). http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/glaucoma-eyes#1

Case study: Jane who is a seventy-three year old tennis enthusiast came in 6 months ago for an injury to her right eye caused by her racket. She was hoping to use acupuncture to help her bruise go away more quickly. To her pleasant surprise, the bruise went away the next day after acupuncture. Then she came back the following week and asked if acupuncture could help lower her IOP which was found high (28, 26) by her eye physician. Based upon my experience, I laid out a treatment plan as follows. Acupuncture once a week for the first four weeks, once every other week two months and once a month for three more months. 

Today Jane told me her recent eye exam surprised her doctor by an IOP of 21 in both eyes. She is just one of the few who are under acupuncture care for glaucoma at our clinic. 

Frank He, L. Ac, QME

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