ACUPUNCTURE ON CONGENITAL COLOR VISION DEFECTS

Chen Keqin', Liu Senting', Gao Liyun1, Zhang Zhengchang,' Liu Cailan,' Zhung Jingjun,1 Wu Shuzhen,1 Guo Zongyi,2 Teng Weicheng,2 Zhen Huian2

Sources of patients: 11,985 pupils (5,865 males, 6,118 females) from ten middle schools in Xi'an were surveyed at random with Shi Yuan's and Yu Ziping's color vision charts to test their color discriminating ability. We found 434 cases of congenital color vision defects, among them 395 were red and green blindness (males 351, or 5.98%; females 44, or 0.72%), 39 cases were red-green weakness (males 23, or 0.39%; females 16, or 0.26%). AH of these color defective pupils were classified into two groups: Acupuncture treatment was given to one and the other was used as control. In the first place we observed 14t cases: 109 cases were assigned to the treatment group, 32 cases belonged to the control group.

Methods of treatment: 3 groups of acupuncture-points were as follows: (1) Taiyang, Nianzhu, Guangming; (2) Fengchi, Sibai, Zusanii; (3) Fengchi, Sibai, SanyinJiao.

(All bilateral points of these Shu points were used)

Method of puncturing: The above 3 groups of points were used alternately in turn, one group a day; the needles were pushed into points by finger-touch and nail-pressing method, and let the needles retained there for 15 minutes after needling reactions obtained, rotate then at 5 minutes intervals. Once a day, 12 times made a treatment-course. Between courses we arranged a rest of 7 days. After each course the color vision discriminatory acuity was rechecked. For the purpose of consolidation, treatments were made every other day for 12 times after recovery.

For the control-cases, nothing has been given except regular rechecks.

Criteria of treatment efficacy:

Cured - being able to read clearly all the figures which he could not read out prior to acupuncture treatment.

Remarkably improved - being able to recognize clearly more than half of the figures that he could not distinguish before treatment.

Improved - being able to read some figures but less than half. Non effective - no change at all after acupuncture,

Regressive-color vision acuity further lowered after treatment.

With above criteria we found the efficacy rate was 94.49% (31 cases cured, 28.49%; remarkably improved 5 cases, or 4.59%; improved 67 cases, or 61.47%; Non effective 5 cases, or 4.59%; one regressive case, or 0.92%). In accordance with types of color defects, all 18 pupils of color vision weakness responded very well (16 cured, 88.89%; remarkably improved one. or 5.56%; one improved, or 5.56%). 91 cases of color-blindness had an efficacy rate of 93.4% (cured in 15, 16.48%; remarkably improved in 4, 4.4%; improved in 66,72.5%; non effective in 5,5.5%; regressed in 1, 1.1%). 2.5-6 months after termination of treatment, we followed 90 cases (color blindness 72, color weakness 18), 70 of them had maintained their post-treatment color vision level, 3 cases have improved even further. Thus we got 73 cases in total with improvement (82.6%); 14 cases regressed (17.4%.). In the control group, there was none improved.

Because color blindness is a hereditary defect, there is no effective method of: In these 109 cases, acupuncture produces certain effect.

1. Department of Acupuncture, Hospital of Shanxi Academy of TCM and Pharmacology, Xi'an

2. Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital of Shanxi Academy of TCM Pharmacoligy, Xi'an