🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Reports indicate that over 60% of people working long hours in front of computer screens experience eye fatigue. During intense concentration, blinking frequency drops significantly, tear secretion declines sharply, compounded by radiation from screen light, causing dryness, burning sensation, dryness, redness, tearing, foreign body sensation, eye pain, and congestion. Yet, eye examinations reveal no obvious pathology—this condition is medically termed dry eye syndrome. Everyone knows that when skin is dry, we apply moisturizer, but what should you do when your eyes are dry?
Wide-eyed blinking less—why have you lost your tears?
Professor Gao Jiansheng, doctoral supervisor at the Eye Hospital of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, explains that dry eye syndrome results from systemic or local causes disrupting tear film function, primarily manifesting as corneal and conjunctival dryness, such as dryness, grittiness, burning, pain, redness, photophobia, and visual fatigue. In TCM, it is known as "Bai Se Zheng" or "Dryness and Blurred Vision." It mainly stems from inadequate lubrication and nutrition of the eyeball by tears. Previously, dry eye was mainly a common eye disease in the elderly, but now increasingly seen in young adults and white-collar workers who frequently use computers, TVs, or gaming consoles. Although symptoms are similar across age groups, the types of dry eye differ between elderly and younger patients. According to Professor Gao, clinically common types include evaporative dry eye and aqueous-deficient dry eye. Evaporative dry eye is common among white-collar workers in air-conditioned environments or those who use computers extensively or drive at night. High work concentration keeps eyelids widely open, increasing ocular exposure and tear evaporation, while reduced blinking fails to replenish tear film moisture. Overuse of eye drops can also cause evaporative dry eye: excessive, frequent, or varied use over time dilutes and washes away natural tears, damaging the tear film’s protective function and artificially worsening or causing dry eye symptoms. Aqueous-deficient dry eye is more common in middle-aged and elderly populations, especially postmenopausal women. Local eye diseases such as trachoma, chronic conjunctivitis, or repeated infections and surgeries can impair the function of tear- or mucus-secreting tissues, leading to this type.
Addition of Preservatives for Sterilization—Eye Drops Can’t Quench the Thirst
Most dry eye cases result from inadequate eye care rather than bacterial infection. However, without proper prevention, severe dry eye can lead to vision decline and increase risk of eye diseases, even blindness. If you suspect dry eye, seek medical attention promptly. Doctors can diagnose using dry eye analyzers and tear secretion tests.
At the Dry Eye Analyzer Room of the Eye Hospital of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the reporter personally experienced a dry eye test. Dr. Hao Jin, deputy director of the dry eye analyzer department, had me sit facing the instrument, resting my chin on a fixed support, keeping my head still and eyes wide open looking at the light inside. After about one minute, Dr. Hao said the results were ready. Seeing my surprise, she invited me to sit in her chair. The front-facing screen resembled a computer monitor, showing four small images at each corner, while the center displayed the test subject’s results. Dr. Hao explained that the four small images represent normal, mild, dry eye, and severe dry eye. By comparing these reference images, one can roughly determine dry eye presence. She noted the dry eye analyzer’s diagnostic accuracy is about 80%, its greatest advantage being non-invasive and painless. However, special cases may require additional testing—for instance, patients with rheumatoid arthritis or lupus often present with dry eyes.
We know that when skin is dry, applying moisturizer or drinking water helps. But how to handle dry eyes? Some people self-medicate by using eye drops. Dr. Wang Zao Wen, ophthalmologist at Beijing Union Medical College Hospital, warns that most commercially available eye drops are antibiotic-based and contain preservatives. Long-term use irritates the eyes, destabilizes the tear film, fails to relieve symptoms, and may worsen discomfort, causing structural eye damage. Moreover, most eye drops aim to kill bacteria, but dry eye is not caused by bacterial infection, so antibiotics are unsuitable. Worse, frequent use can lead to drug resistance, rendering eye drops ineffective when truly needed. Data shows that antibiotic eye drops rank second on the World Health Organization’s list of drugs most prone to resistance. Thus, using antibiotic eye drops to prevent dry eye is discouraged.
Dr. Wang suggests that for dry eye, solutions include artificial tears (preferably preservative-free), reducing tear evaporation, etc. Artificial tears are manufactured products mimicking natural tears, providing moisture, lubrication, and nourishment to the cornea and conjunctiva. In air-conditioned rooms, while using computers, or driving at night, consciously increasing blink frequency reduces tear evaporation. If indoor air is dry, use a humidifier. For severe cases, wearing swimming goggles during sleep helps reduce tear evaporation. Lacrimal punctum occlusion is another method: blocking the tear drainage pathway to nasal lacrimal duct, prolonging tear retention in the eye. Currently, imported specialized lacrimal occlusion devices are used in major hospitals, showing efficacy for mild to moderate dry eye. For severe cases, conservative "hydration" treatments may fail, and surgery may be necessary.
Wear Proper Glasses, Develop Good Habits, Take Herbs to Moisturize
Dr. Wang Zao Wen believes wearing properly fitted glasses is crucial for preventing dry eye. People over 40 can use bifocal lenses or wear low-power glasses for near work. Most importantly, cultivating good eye habits: correct posture, suitable lighting, keeping reading distance at 25–30 cm, avoiding reading while riding, walking, or lying down. Computer users should keep at least 60 cm from the screen, adjust to an optimal posture where gaze is downward about 30 degrees, relaxing ocular muscles and minimizing air exposure to the eyeball surface.
For dry eye patients, Professor Gao Jiansheng recommends herbal medicines and acupressure:
1. Treatment for eyelid disease: For local redness, swelling, heat, and pain, use Huanglian Yanggan Wan or Niuhuang Qingxin Wan. Apply Si Huang Ointment locally every night, gently massage the eyelids—especially the upper lid—or apply heat.
2. Senile dry eye: Take herbs that tonify liver and kidney, such as Liuwei Dihuang Wan or Qiju Dihuang Wan. For women with menopausal syndrome, besides standard treatment, consume 15g of wolfberry daily—chew after washing, or boil into tea or wine, or eat porridge made with lily, yam, coix seed, and red dates. Eat two walnuts nightly, or drink decoctions of Ophiopogon japonicus, Scrophularia ningpoensis, and Adenophora stricta as tea.
3. Acupressure: Suitable for all types of dry eye. Select points such as Jingming, Taiyang, Zanzhu, Sizhukong, Yangbai, Sibai, Fengchi, Guangming for local massage. With facilities, acupuncture may also be considered.