Uveitis
Uveitis is a group of inflammatory conditions affecting the uvea that can have many different causes. In the past, the term was used narrowly to refer to inflammation of the iris, ciliary body, and choroid. It is now commonly used internationally in a broader sense to include inflammation of the uvea, retina, retinal blood vessels, and vitreous. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this condition falls within the categories of “contracted pupils” and “dry, deficient pupils.”
TCM Pattern Identification and Treatment Reference
|Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Sudden onset; contracted pupil; circumcorneal redness; gray, dot-like deposits on the posterior corneal surface; cloudy aqueous humor; photophobia, tearing, a heavy, aching pain in the eyeball, and frontal headache. The tongue is red, with a thin white or slightly yellow coating; the pulse is floating and rapid or wiry and rapid.
In Plain Language:
- The condition begins suddenly, with symptoms appearing quickly and intensely.
- The pupil becomes noticeably smaller (“contracted pupil”).
- There is a ring of redness around the cornea (“circumcorneal redness”).
- Gray, dot-like deposits may be seen on the back of the cornea (posterior corneal deposits, known as keratic precipitates).
- The aqueous humor is cloudy (“cloudy aqueous humor”).
- The eyes are sensitive to light and watery, with marked discomfort in bright light.
- The eyeball feels heavy and painful, with a dull, aching discomfort.
- Pain is felt in the forehead.
- The tongue appears somewhat red.
- The tongue coating is thin and white or slightly yellow.
- On pulse examination, the pulse feels floating and somewhat rapid, or wiry and rapid.
|Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Dispel wind and clear heat
In Plain Language:
- Dispel factors associated with wandering discomfort and itching, and ease symptoms such as aversion to wind, headache, and body aches.
- Clear internal heat and ease discomfort such as fever, sore throat, dry mouth, and irritability.
|Related Products
The following products are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and leaflet, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Onset may be sudden or gradual. The pupil is contracted, and circumcorneal redness persists or recurs. Gray deposits are present on the posterior corneal surface, the aqueous humor is cloudy, and a white membrane adheres to the pupil. There may be aching joints, difficulty urinating, or scanty, painful urination with a burning sensation. The tongue coating is yellow and greasy; the pulse is slippery and rapid.
In Plain Language:
- Onset may be sudden or relatively gradual.
- The pupil becomes noticeably smaller (“contracted pupil”).
- A ring of redness around the cornea persists or recurs (“circumcorneal redness”).
- Gray, dot-like deposits can be seen on the back of the cornea (keratic precipitates, or KPs).
- The aqueous humor is cloudy (“cloudy aqueous humor”).
- A white, membrane-like adhesion may be seen at the edge of the pupil (posterior synechiae or fibrous membrane adhesion).
- Joints may feel achy and uncomfortable.
- Urination may be difficult, or urine may be scanty and passed with pain and a burning sensation.
- The tongue coating is yellow and greasy.
- On pulse examination, the pulse feels slippery and somewhat rapid.
|Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Dispel wind, resolve dampness, and clear heat
In Plain Language:
- Dispel factors associated with wandering discomfort and itching, and ease symptoms such as aversion to wind, headache, and body aches.
- Help eliminate dampness and turbidity in the body, easing sensations of heaviness and stickiness, swelling, chest tightness, and a thick, greasy tongue coating.
- Clear internal heat and ease fever, sore throat, thirst, irritability, and facial flushing.
|Related Products
The following products are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and leaflet, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
The condition progresses slowly or persists for a long time. There may be moving dark spots in the field of vision, a contracted or irregularly shaped pupil, vitreous opacities, and changes in the fundus including pigment disturbance and pigment loss. Redness and pain vary in severity. The eyes may feel dry, with blurred vision; the mouth and throat may be dry, with mouth ulcers, irritability, and insomnia. The tongue is red with a thin coating; the pulse is thin and rapid.
In Plain Language:
- The condition progresses slowly or has persisted for a long time without resolving.
- Dark spots seem to float in the field of vision, like small specks or threads.
- The pupil is noticeably small or has an irregular, distorted shape.
- The vitreous becomes cloudy, making vision seem hazy.
- The fundus may show pigment irregularities and areas of pigment loss.
- Eye redness and pain fluctuate in severity.
- The eyes feel dry, and vision is blurred.
- The mouth and throat may also feel dry, and sores may develop in the mouth.
- There may be irritability and poor sleep or difficulty sleeping.
- The tongue appears somewhat red with a relatively thin coating.
- On pulse examination, the pulse feels thin and somewhat rapid.
|Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Nourish the liver and kidneys; nourish yin and reduce fire
In Plain Language:
- Nourish the liver and kidneys to ease soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees, dizziness, ringing in the ears, and fatigue.
- Nourish yin and reduce internal heat to ease dry mouth and throat, afternoon or evening feverish sensations, night sweats, and irritability or feeling overheated.
|Related Products
The following products are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and leaflet, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
The condition recurs and persists. There are vitreous opacities and extensive retinal exudation that is slow to resolve. New blood vessels in the ciliary body gradually extend toward the lens, causing lens opacification. Organized membranes and extensive anterior and posterior adhesions may form at the ora serrata. Vision decreases, the eye feels swollen and painful, and the headache is persistent and localized. The tongue is dark purple, with a thick, greasy coating; the pulse is deep and choppy.
In Plain Language:
- The condition flares up repeatedly and has persisted for a long time without improvement.
- The vitreous, the clear gel-like substance inside the eye, becomes cloudy, making vision seem veiled.
- There is substantial fluid leakage in the retina that is slow to be absorbed or resolve.
- New, small blood vessels develop inside the eye and gradually extend toward the lens.
- The lens may consequently become cloudy, making vision even more blurred.
- Membrane-like tissue may develop around the periphery inside the eye, with extensive adhesions between anterior and posterior structures.
- Vision decreases and becomes blurrier than before.
- The eye feels swollen and painful.
- The headache is persistent and does not ease.
- The tongue appears dark or purplish.
- The tongue coating is thick and greasy in appearance.
- The pulse is felt more clearly with deeper pressure and feels less smooth.
|Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Promote blood circulation and remove stasis; transform phlegm and dissipate nodules
In Plain Language:
- Promote the smooth flow of blood and help resolve stasis, easing stabbing or distending pain and purplish discoloration.
- Help transform thick phlegm and turbidity and promote their elimination, easing chest tightness and thick phlegm when coughing.
- Soften hardness and disperse nodules, with the aim of reducing lumps and tenderness.
|Related Products
The following products are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the product packaging and leaflet, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
References
- Duan Junguo. Ophthalmology Integrating Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine [M]. Beijing: China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2005: 10.
- Li Chuanke. Ophthalmology of Traditional Chinese Medicine [M]. Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House, 2006: 12.
- Zhang Meifang, Zhan Yujian, Qiu Bo. Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment of Specialized Ophthalmic Conditions with Traditional Chinese Medicine [M]. Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House, 2005: 2.
- Yang Peizeng. Diagnosis and Treatment of Uveitis [M]. 2nd ed. Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House, 2009: 3.
- Zeng Qinghua. Ophthalmology of Traditional Chinese Medicine [M]. 2nd ed. Beijing: China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2007: 7.
- Zhuang Zengyuan, Jin Ming. Contemporary Ophthalmology of Traditional Chinese Medicine [M]. 2nd ed. Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House, 2011: 2.