Question
My eyes are a bit swollen, and they occasionally hurt. My vision has severely declined, and the corner of my eye has started to become inflamed. Could I have visual nerve atrophy, and can it be treated with surgery?
Answer
The causes of visual nerve atrophy include external factors like six kinds of exogenous pathogens, emotional stagnation, irregular diet, imbalance of work and rest, physical weakness due to febrile diseases, head injuries, and congenital deficiencies. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment for visual nerve atrophy mainly follows the principle of dialectical treatment, aiming to stabilize the fundus circulation, activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis, cool the blood and detoxify, and soften blood vessels to repair damaged vascular walls and maintain the patency of retinal blood vessels. Acupuncture treatment and traditional Chinese medicine decoctions can be adopted, but these methods can only alleviate the progression of the disease and not effectively improve vision. Currently, the effectiveness of surgical treatment for visual nerve atrophy is not significant.