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The eye possesses the Five Wheels and Eight Palaces, twelve meridians, and three hundred and sixty collateral vessels. All these are formed by the essence and qi of the whole body ascending to enter the spiritual orifices, thereby generating vision. Regarding theories on the wheels, palaces, meridians, interior and exterior, yin and yang, qi and blood, and mutual generation and restriction, various ophthalmological schools have either compiled them into songs or illustrated them in diagrams, making them detailed and clear; therefore, I will not elaborate further. As for diseases being divided into seventy-two symptoms categorized as internal and external obstructions, this was named by the ancients according to morphological characteristics to guide later generations in diagnosing symptoms and prescribing medication, preventing errors. However, often when treating according to symptoms, minor illnesses may heal, but major illnesses are difficult to cure; even if effective in the short term, relapse is inevitable in the long run. Why? This is because treatment focuses on the exterior without addressing the interior, treats the branch (symptoms) without treating the root (cause), failing to clarify the source. Therefore, although there are forty-nine types of external obstructions and twenty-three manifestations of internal obstructions in ophthalmology, their pathological origins all arise from the Liver and Lung, spread through the five zang organs and six fu organs, and reach the twelve meridians. Depending on the pathogenic factors involved, changes are manifold, giving rise to the names of the seventy-two symptoms. Among these, there are differences between deficiency (Xu) and excess (Shi) patterns, requiring one to trace back to the origin and distinguish clearly. Upon examining internal and external obstructions, if it is an excess pattern, one should dispel wind and clear heat, employing the blowing and flushing method of Sun Simiao (Sun Zhenren). If it is a deficiency pattern, one should nourish blood and calm the spirit, using formulas such as Gouqi Rice Porridge (Lycium Berry Rice Porridge) for tonification. In this way, one can proceed from complexity to simplicity, avoiding confusion caused by numerous symptoms and disparate prescriptions.

The seventy-two eye symptoms essentially boil down to two categories: deficiency and excess. Deficiency manifests as blurred vision, resulting from insufficiency of true yin in the Kidney meridian. Excess manifests as sudden redness, swelling, and pain, resulting from surplus wind-heat in the Liver meridian. Treating deficiency patterns requires nourishing true yin and supplementing qi and blood to augment what is insufficient. Treating excess patterns requires dispersing wind-heat and draining fire toxins to reduce what is excessive. In cases where deficiency and excess coexist in equal measure, both kidney-nourishing and heat-clearing methods should be used concurrently. With such approaches, why would any eye disease remain incurable! It is often seen that contemporary practitioners do not examine deficiency or excess, do not investigate the etiology, and do not follow meridian differentiation. Whenever they encounter blurred vision, they directly attribute it to steaming by heat pathogens and erroneously administer cooling medicines. They fail to realize that cold and cool substances damage the Stomach qi, preventing vital energy from ascending, thereby transforming into internal obstructions such as Qing Mang (Green Blindness). Whenever they encounter sudden redness, swelling, and pain, they directly attribute it to abundant fire and deficient water, erroneously administering kidney-tonifying medicines. They fail to realize that tonifying the kidney generates Liver qi; when Liver qi rushes upward, nebulae (membranes) regenerate, transforming into external obstructions such as Yu Yi Fu Man (Jade Nebula Floating Lid). These are all errors in medication, not indications that the eye disease itself is incurable. Alas! The world has lost its way, chaotically prescribing medications, turning mild illnesses into severe ones, and severe illnesses into complicated/ruined conditions. A robust human body is reduced to uselessness, which is truly lamentable! Therefore, I earnestly differentiate these points. For excess patterns, apply Bai Yu Ding (White Jade锭 - see Volume 3) or Sao Wu Dan (Fog-Sweeping Pill - see *Secrets*). These should not be applied for deficiency patterns.