Vernal Catarrhal Conjunctivitis
Vernal conjunctivitis (vernal conjunctivitis) most often affects children and adolescents. It is characterized by intense itching in both eyes, large, flat papillae on the palpebral conjunctiva, and gelatinous conjunctival hypertrophy near the limbus. Based on the site of the lesions, it is classified as the palpebral conjunctival, bulbar conjunctival, or mixed type. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this condition falls within the categories of “episodic ocular itching” (时复目痒) and “episodic eye symptoms” (时复症).
TCM Pattern Differentiation and Medication Reference
|Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Persistent, unbearable eye itching; burning with mild pain; a foreign-body sensation; photophobia and tearing. The eye discharge is white and stringy. The sclera is red, with a dusky-red or dirty gray-yellow appearance. In severe cases, gray-yellow gelatinous elevations may appear at the corneoscleral junction. The tongue is red with a thin yellow coating; the pulse is floating or rapid.
In Plain Language:
- The eyes itch intensely, and rubbing them does not help.
- There may be a burning sensation, mild pain, and discomfort like something rubbing in the eye.
- Light sensitivity and tearing may worsen in bright light or wind.
- The discharge is white, sticky, and stringy.
- The whites of the eyes are bloodshot and may look “dusky” or cloudy gray-yellow.
- In severe cases, small gray-yellow, jelly-like elevations may be visible where the cornea meets the sclera.
- The tongue may appear reddish, with a thin yellow coating.
- The pulse may feel floating or fast.
|Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Dispel wind and relieve itching
In Plain Language:
- Dispel factors associated with shifting discomfort and itching, with the aim of reducing recurrences.
- Ease skin itching and the urge to scratch, helping the skin feel more comfortable.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the packaging and product information leaflet, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Intense, unbearable itching; stringy eye discharge; prominent papillary hypertrophy of the upper tarsal conjunctiva, with a cobblestone or pomegranate-like appearance. The sclera may look slightly yellow and muddy, and gray-yellow gelatinous elevations may appear at the corneoscleral junction. Itching with a rash and scant, dark-yellow urine may also occur. The tongue is red with a yellow, greasy coating; the pulse is slippery and rapid.
In Plain Language:
- The eyes itch intensely, and rubbing them brings little relief.
- The discharge is sticky and stringy, and may make the eyelashes stick together.
- There is marked papillary overgrowth on the upper eyelid lining, with raised areas resembling pomegranate seeds or cobblestones.
- The whites of the eyes may look slightly yellow and cloudy.
- Small gray-yellow, jelly-like elevations may be visible where the cornea meets the sclera.
- Itchy skin and a rash may also occur.
- Urine may be scant and yellow.
- The tongue may appear reddish.
- The tongue coating may be yellow and greasy (thick and sticky).
- The pulse may feel slippery and fast.
|Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Clear damp-heat and dispel wind to relieve itching
In Plain Language:
- Promote urination to help eliminate dampness and heat, easing discomforts such as heaviness, stickiness, scant dark urine, abdominal bloating, poor appetite, and a thick, greasy tongue coating.
- Dispel factors associated with itching, ease recurrent itching and the urge to scratch, and help the skin feel more comfortable.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the packaging and product information leaflet, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
|Common Symptoms
Clinical Description:
Mild eye itching that comes and goes; slight redness of the sclera; a dull or sallow complexion. The tongue is pale, and the pulse is thready.
In Plain Language:
- The eyes itch mildly, with symptoms that come and go.
- The whites of the eyes are slightly red.
- The complexion may look dull or sallow.
- The tongue may appear pale.
- The pulse may feel thready.
|Treatment Approach
Clinical Description:
Nourish the blood and extinguish wind
In Plain Language:
- Nourish the blood to support the complexion and ease dryness, dizziness, fatigue, and other discomforts.
- Calm internal wind and ease dizziness, trembling, spasms, and itching.
|Related Products
The products below are provided for informational reference only and do not constitute medical advice or a prescription. Refer to the packaging and product information leaflet, and use under the guidance of a doctor or pharmacist.
References
- Jin Ming. Annotations to the TCM Clinical Practice Guidelines: Ophthalmic Diseases [M]. Beijing: China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2015: 44-49.
- Cui Hao, Wang Ningli. Ophthalmology: A National-Level Planned Textbook for Undergraduate Education in the 12th Five-Year Plan [M]. 3rd ed. Beijing: Peking University Medical Press, 2013: 51-54.
- Tang Youzhi, Wu Xingwei. Handbook of Integrative Chinese and Western Ophthalmology [M]. Beijing: China Classics Publishing House, 2003: 353-355.
- Lu Nanshan. Clinical Ophthalmology Case Records [M]. Beijing: China Medical Science Press, 2012: 29-30.
- Zhuang Zengyuan, Yao Dejin, Wang Zhaohua. Qingjie Mixture for Vernal Conjunctivitis [J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1988(8): 44.
- Ma Fenyu. Clinical Observation of the Efficacy of Chinese Herbal Medicine in Treating Vernal Conjunctivitis [J]. Journal of Shanxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2005, 6(2): 29-30.
- Song Jiantao, Yang Wei, Gao Jiansheng, et al. Clinical Observation of Chuanjiao Formula for Allergic Conjunctivitis [J]. Chinese Journal of Ophthalmology of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2010, 20(1): 17.
- Shen Zhihua, Song Jiantao, Jie Chuanhong, et al. Effects of Chuanjiao Formula on Mast Cell Degranulation in Mice with Allergic Conjunctivitis [J]. Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae, 2014, 20(9): 190-194.
- Yan Lina. Clinical Observation of Mingmu Zhiyang Decoction for Vernal Conjunctivitis [J]. Guide of China Medicine, 2015, 13(33): 193.
- Wang Qimiao, Jin Ming. Recent Advances in TCM Treatment of Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis [J]. Chinese Journal of Ophthalmology of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2012, 22(3): 226-229.