Expert: John R. Cross - 11/10/2011

Question
Dear Dr. John

Could you please guide if weak eyesight can be cured by acupressure. My 7 year old daughter has vision 20/30 i.e she is not able to read the last line of the chart. As this is a minor defect, I was wondering if this can be corrected using acupressure and avoiding the use of eye glasses.

Would appreciate if you could tell me :
1) which points on the hands/feet are to be pressed
2) how long and how many times a day
3) If there are any websites which can provide photos of exact points to be pressed and method, that would be usefull.

Thanks and Regards,
Pradeep

Answer
Hello Pradeep,

Thanks for the question. Yes, it is possible to help your daughter's weak eyesight with acupressure. Do you know the cause - does it run in the family? If she has any problem with the top of the neck due to an accident or injury, this could affect the back of the eyes. In traditional medicine, the liver energy is used to help eyesight (don't worry there is nothing wrong with her liver). The best point, by far, is LR 3 (Liver 3). This is situated on the top of the foot - feel the web between the big toe and second toe. Take your finger towards the ankle joint and LR 3 is found as you hit the bone between the metatarsals. You can see an illustration of it in any practical acupuncture web site - just 'Google' Liver 3.

You need to gently massage the point for about two minutes twice a day - for as long as it takes to see some improvement i.e. slow but sure. Let me know if you have any queries on this - John