夫人之有两眼,犹天之有两曜,视万物,察纤毫,何所不至。日月有一时之晦
者,风云雷雨之所致也,眼之失明者,四气七情之为害也。大抵眼目为五脏之精华,
一身之至要,故五脏分五轮八廓,名八卦。五轮者,肝属木,曰风轮,在眼为乌睛;
心属火,曰血轮,在眼为二 ;脾属土,曰肉轮,在眼为上下胞;肺属金,曰气轮,
在眼为白睛;肾属水,曰水轮,在眼为瞳子。至若八廓,无位有名,胆之腑为天廓,
膀胱之腑为地廓,(今因后八廓图改作山廓,好记亦无害,理且长于言语,从之。)命门之腑为水廓,
(今改火廓,从之。)大肠之腑为山廓,(今改风廓,从之。)三焦之腑为泽廓,(今改为肺之
腑,从之。)此虽为眼目之本根,而有藉血为之包络五脏。或蕴积风热,或有七情之气
郁结不散,上攻眼目各随五脏所属而见。或肿而痛,羞涩多泪,或生障膜,昏暗失明。其证七十有二,治之法须究其因。
风则攻散之,热则清凉之,气则调顺之,切不可
轻用针刀点割,偶得其愈,出乎侥幸,倘或不然,为害不浅。又且不可过用凉剂
恐冰其血脉,凝而不流,亦成痼疾。当量人老少,气体虚实用药。又有肾虚者,亦
能令人眼目无光,或生冷翳,止当补暖下元,益其肾水。北方之人,患眼最多,皆
是日冒风沙,夜卧热炕,二气交蒸使然,治之多用凉药,北方之人,禀受与南方不
同也。疹痘之后。毒瓦斯郁于心肝二经,不能自已,发于眼目,伤于瞳人者,素无
治法。
The human eyes are like the sun and moon in the sky; they observe all things and perceive the finest details, reaching everywhere. Just as the sun and moon may occasionally be obscured by wind, clouds, thunder, and rain, blindness in the eyes is caused by the harm of the Four Qi (Wind, Cold, Summer-heat, Dampness) and the Seven Emotions (Joy, Anger, Worry, Thought, Sorrow, Fear, Fright). Generally speaking, the eyes are the gathering place of the essence of the Five Zang Organs and are vital to the whole body. Therefore, the Five Zang Organs are divided into the Five Wheels and Eight Palaces, named after the Eight Trigrams.
Regarding the Five Wheels: The Liver belongs to Wood, called the Wind Wheel, corresponding to the cornea/pupil area (Wu Jing) in the eye; the Heart belongs to Fire, called the Blood Wheel, corresponding to the canthi (inner and outer corners of the eyes); the Spleen belongs to Earth, called the Flesh Wheel, corresponding to the upper and lower eyelids; the Lungs belong to Metal, called the Qi Wheel, corresponding to the sclera (white part of the eye); the Kidneys belong to Water, called the Water Wheel, corresponding to the pupil.
As for the Eight Palaces, they have names but no fixed positions: The Fu organ of the Gallbladder is the Heaven Palace; the Fu organ of the Bladder is the Earth Palace (Currently changed to Mountain Palace due to the later diagram of the Eight Palaces for easier memorization without harm, following this convention); the Fu organ of the Mingmen (Gate of Life) is the Water Palace (Currently changed to Fire Palace, following this convention); the Fu organ of the Large Intestine is the Mountain Palace (Currently changed to Wind Palace, following this convention); the Fu organ of the Sanjiao (Triple Burner) is the Marsh Palace (Currently changed to the Fu organ of the Lungs, following this convention). Although these constitute the root of the eyes, they rely on blood to envelop and connect the Five Zang Organs. If wind-heat accumulates internally, or if the Qi of the Seven Emotions becomes stagnant and fails to disperse, it attacks upward to the eyes, manifesting according to the respective Zang Organ involved. Symptoms may include swelling and pain, photophobia with excessive tearing, or the formation of opacities/membranes leading to dim vision or blindness. There are seventy-two types of such manifestations, and treatment methods must investigate the underlying causes.
For wind pathogens, use dispersing methods; for heat pathogens, use cooling methods; for Qi stagnation, use regulating and smoothing methods. One must never lightly resort to needle-knife incisions or cauterization. Even if accidental recovery occurs, it is merely luck; otherwise, the harm could be severe. Furthermore, one must not overuse cold-natured prescriptions, lest they freeze the blood vessels, causing coagulation and stasis, which leads to chronic diseases. Medication should be prescribed based on the patient's age and the deficiency or excess of their constitution. Additionally, those with Kidney Deficiency may suffer from dull eyes or cold-type opacities; treatment should focus on warming and tonifying the Lower Yuan and benefiting Kidney Water. People in the North suffer from eye diseases most frequently, caused by exposure to wind and sand during the day and sleeping on heated kang beds at night, where the two types of heat steam together. Treatment often employs cold medicines. This is because the innate constitution of Northern people differs from that of Southern people. After the eruption of smallpox or measles, toxic factors may stagnate in the Heart and Liver meridians, unable to resolve spontaneously, erupting into the eyes and damaging the pupils. Historically, there has been no established standard method for treating this condition.