Inspection of Eyes Flashcards
What is the Blood Wheel? (Five Wheels)
- inner and outer canthus of eye
- HT/SI
What is the Qi Wheel? (Five Wheels)
- sclera
- LU/LI
What is the Wind Wheel? (Five Wheels)
- Iris
- LR/GB
What is the Water Wheel? (Five Wheels)
- Pupil
- KD/BL
What is the Flesh Wheel? (Five Wheels)
- eyelids and surrounding muscles
List the Five Wheels
- blood wheel
- qi wheel
- wind wheel
- water wheel
- flesh wheel
What zang fu organs do flexible/smooth movement of the eyes rely on and why?
- muscles; sinews/tendons
- SP (dominates muscles); LR (controls tendons)
What zang fu organs do the glittering, bright, shiny appearance of eyes rely on and why?
- Blood: HT/SP/LR (dominates; generates; stores)
What zang fu organs do the eyes’ ability to distinguish objects rely on and why?
- Shen/Spirit : HT/SP/KD (triad)
- HT (houses Spirit)
- SP (generates acquired Essence, which nourishes the Spirit)
- KD (stores congenital essence, which nourishes the Spirit)
What zang fu organs do the eyes’ clear vision rely on and why?
- relies on Blood of SP/KD/LU
- SP (generates post heaven essence)
- KD (stores pre heaven essence)
- LU (dominates qi- power to maintain circulation of blood to eyes)
Insufficient LR and KD qi can lead to a loss of spirit. How might this manifest in the eyes?
- poor vision
- dull luster
- turbid hue in sclera
- iris and pupil borders indistinguishable
- no tears or eye secretion
poor prognosis
What does redness of the eyes indicate?
- pathogenic heat invading the body
- heat injures blood vessels, or causes blood to rise upwards
What does a white eye colour indicate?
- insufficient blood to fill the vessels/channels and nourish eyes (can be due to qi or blood deficiency, or yang deficiency with cold)
- OR turbid phlegm deposit on eyes
What does a yellow eye colour indicate?
- LR/GB channels obstructed by dampness, qi or blood stasis
- stagnation generates heat, steams bile up to eyes
What does a black eye colour indicate?
- extreme heat consuming/injuring the body fluids, concentrates the blood (gives rise to darker colour)
- or, KD failure
What does a blue-green eye colour indicate?
- LR dysfunction creates Wind
- or, pathogenic Cold obstructs the vessels
What are the 4 aspects of the eye we inspect?
- spirit
- shape
- colour
- bearing
What causes a red eye colour?
pathogenic heat injures blood vessels, or causes blood to rise upwards
What causes a yellow eye colour?
LR/GB channels obstructed by pathogens;
heat ensues, bile steams upward to manifest in eyes
What eye colour will result from: insufficient Blood fails to fill up the channels and nourish the eyes, or turbid phlegm deposit on the eye?
white
What causes black eye colour?
heat causes bleeding or severely injures body fluids and concentrates the blood, or
kidney failure
What colour will result from: LR dysfunction creates wind, or pathogenic cold obstructs the blood vessels?
blue-green
