What is the name of cataract in traditional Chinese medicine?
Nov 19, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Sun Lianqing
Introduction
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), cataracts are known as "yuanyi neizhang," an eye disorder characterized primarily by lens opacity and progressive vision loss. TCM attributes the condition to aging, physical weakness, and disharmony of internal organs. If symptoms such as sudden vision decline, eye pain, or visual distortion occur, prompt medical evaluation is recommended. The underlying pathological mechanism in TCM is deficiency of the liver and kidneys, accompanied by insufficient qi and blood.
Cataracts are known as "yuanyi neizhang" in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and are eye disorders primarily characterized by lens opacity and progressive vision decline. TCM attributes the condition to aging, physical weakness, and disharmony of internal organs. If sudden vision loss, eye pain, or visual distortion occur, prompt medical evaluation is recommended.
According to TCM, the core pathogenesis of yuanyi neizhang involves deficiency of the liver and kidneys and insufficiency of qi and blood. Deficiency of liver and kidney yin leads to inadequate nourishment of the eyes, while insufficient qi and blood results in malnutrition and clouding of the lens. Additionally, spleen deficiency with excessive dampness or ascending liver fire may trigger or exacerbate the condition.
In TCM pattern differentiation, yuanyi neizhang is commonly classified into patterns such as liver-kidney yin deficiency, qi-blood deficiency, and spleen deficiency with dampness excess. Treatment should be tailored to the specific pattern, employing therapeutic principles such as nourishing the liver and kidneys, invigorating qi and enriching blood, or strengthening the spleen to resolve dampness, often combined with oral herbal medicine, acupuncture, and other regulatory methods.
In daily life, it is important to maintain emotional well-being to prevent rising liver fire, follow a regular作息 to support liver and kidney health, consume foods that nourish the liver and kidneys—such as goji berries and mulberries—avoid prolonged eye use to reduce ocular fatigue, and engage in moderate outdoor activities to benefit from natural light exposure.
