Treatment Scope > Ophthalmology Department > Cataract

Senile cataract is a common eye disease in senile. It refers to the case in which the crystalline lens itself gradually becomes aged, denatured and opaque without other systemic or local pathogenic causes. 

The occurrence is related to the following factors: 

Physiological ageing, metabolism failure, local malnutrition, and activation of enzymes reducing and the abnormality of oxid-reduction system. 

The lens opacity can be divided to three groups: cortical, nuclear and posterior sub-capsular ones. Clinically the types of cortical and nuclear senile cataract are more common. 

At the beginning, there are blurred vision or fixed black shadow before the eye or monocular diplopia or polyopia. In cortical opacity, the opacity starts from the periphery and does not influence the vision at the early stage, however, when the opacity invades pupil area, vision gradually descent. At the mature stage, the lens become completely white, and vision has only light sensation left. 

In nuclear cataract, at the initial stage, the nuclear becomes opaque and gradually expanding, color changes from yellow to dark brown, and vision drastically decreases. 

In posterior sub-capsular cataract, the opacity area looks like disc, at the posterior pole, located on the visual axis. It influences vision at the early stage. 

In mature stage, both the advanced nuclear cataract and the posterior capsular cataract are able to surgery. 

Etiology and pathogenesis explained in TCM: 

Senile debility, deficiency of liver and kidney, insufficiency of essence and blood or deficiency of spleen may cause this disease. 

Treatment principle: 

To nourish liver and kidney, strengthen spleen and benefit Qi, enrich blood and bright eyes, anti-aging, anti-oxidation, and accelerate metabolism of lens. 

According the above principle, we combined herbal modern pharmacology and differentiation diagnosis to provide in-clinic treatment. It has favorable effect on immature cortical cataract at the beginning. This treatment can improve the blood circulation on local eyes and head, activate the enzymes on eye tissue, accelerate metabolism of lens, revert the opacity and degeneration of lens cortex, reduce fibril swelling, increase lens transparency, and abatement aging of eye tissue. In clinic observation, generally the opacity can turn transparent in 1/5-1/4 on front of lens after 1-2 courses of treatment (10 times as one course). It is slower to turn the opacity to transparent on the posterior of lens. Vision can be gradually increase; generally vision will be improved after 1-2 times of treatment.