Macular Degeneration

acupuncture for eye conditions

What is Macular Degeneration?

Macular degeneration is an eye disorder. It’s caused by deterioration of a small area in the centre of the retina in the back of the eye, known as the macular. You have two different focuses of vision in your eye, central and peripheral. Macular degeneration affects and deteriorates your central vision. Because of this, the condition does not cause total blindness as your peripheral vision is not affected. There are two different kinds of this disorder, dry & wet. 

Dry macular degeneration occurs when drusen, a small yellow deposit, develops under the macular. This affects 85%-90% of people with this condition.

The other 10%-15% is wet macular degeneration. This occurs when there are abnormal blood vessels in the eye, usually developing under the retina and macular. 

Macular Degeneration Eye

Symptoms

Macular degeneration is a progressive disease which means it slowly gets worse over time. Early on, you may not notice vision problems and may not notice your vision changing when both eyes are affected at the same time.

Symptoms and signs indicating dry macular degeneration include:

  • Central vision quality deteriorate 
  • Distortion of straight lines on your vision 
  • Needing brighter lighting 
  • Struggle to adapt to dimmer lighting
  • Difficulty recognising faces 
  • Blurriness in vision
  • Retinal damage 

Symptoms indicating to wet macular degeneration are:

  • Blurry spot/spots in field of vision
  • Dark spot in center vision (this is due to blood vessels bleeding or leaking fluid)
  • Hazy vision
  • Symptoms worsening rapidly 

Symptoms relating to wet degeneration progress quicker than dry. 

Normal Macula

Causes and Risk Factors 

It isn’t completely understood why some develop this condition while others don’t. However, the risk factors that make people more susceptible have been recorded. These include, 

  • Being over 55
  • Family history of macular degeneration
  • Smoking
  • Being overweight 
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • High cholesterol 
  • Caucasians are more likely to develop this condition than other population 

Complications of Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration has complications that can greatly affect patients. One of the major complications that patients have to deal with is being unable to follow activities on their own. As the disease progresses, it gets harder and harder for some people to read or perform other tasks they otherwise could do independently.

Other complications related to the condition are depression and hallucinations.

Depression affects up to 39% of patients that suffer from macular degeneration. Which is usually caused by the saddening inevitability of vision loss that occurs with the disorder.

Due to the decrease in vision simulation your brain can also create hallucinations. This is your brain compensating for the vision loss.

Female infertility due to weak digestion

Prevention Tips

Clear prevention tips of the condition have not been finalised although keeping and maintaining a healthy physical state is almost sure to keep you away from conditions like this.

Managing a healthy lifestyle includes:

  • Not smoking
  • Eating a healthy diet 
  • Maintaining a healthy weight 
  • Exercising regularly

 At Centre of Balance we have natural ways of diagnosing and treating macular degeneration. If you feel this condition might be a concern for you, contact us today at Centre of Balance. Call 07 8467956 or email info@balancetcm.co.nz. 

Our Offer to You

Fill in our online questionnaire for free – and save the $135 it would cost you to do this detailed medical history in person with a practitioner.  You can request a phone call from a practitioner after they have read your online form, or just book your initial exam for $40.  Call us on 07 846 7956 to book, or fill in the questionnaire now.

References

https://www.healthline.com/health/macular-degeneration

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Monica

I am originally from Hebei province in China. I hold a NZ bachelor’s degree of health and science with a major in acupuncture. I am honoured to be an acupuncturist at Centre of Balance. Helping patients to alleviate their pain brings me the greatest joy. Chinese medicine emphasises the unity of human beings and nature. During the treatment, I hope to not only relieve your pain but also help you to understand the principles behind acupuncture’s effectiveness, as well as the significant impact of diet, emotions, lifestyle habits, and living environments on disease recovery. Self-healing is an ability that our bodies are naturally endowed with.

I studied acupuncture in New Zealand and completed one and a half years of supervised clinical internship before graduating. In the early stage of my training, I mainly worked with patients experiencing neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. Under the guidance of senior clinical tutors, I gradually developed hands-on experience and confidence in treating musculoskeletal pain conditions.
As my clinical exposure expanded, I began treating a wider range of internal conditions. Alongside traditional acupuncture, I was introduced to Umbilical Acupuncture and Tungs-acupuncture Points. What interested me most about these approaches is that they often do not require needling directly at the painful area, yet can still achieve very effective results.
I was especially inspired by observing my supervisor use Umbilical Acupuncture to treat common conditions such as insomnia, menstrual irregularities, and even rheumatoid arthritis, with very positive outcomes. Another supervisor was highly skilled in Tungs-acupuncture Points and achieved excellent results in treating pain, infertility, menstrual disorders, and a variety of women’s health conditions. After completing my studies and entering clinical practice, once I observed Dr. Szenan Phua using Tungs-acupuncture points to help cancer patients relieve pain, which further strengthened my trust in this treatment method.
I later completed training in Dr. Tan Balance Acupuncture, which had a strong influence on the way I approach treatment. One of the most noticeable features of this method is how quickly patients often feel improvement, especially with pain conditions. Dr. Szenan Phua’s New Balance Acupuncture combines meridian regulation with structural adjustment and internal organ balancing, including techniques such as pulse balancing and spinal adjustment.
From my clinical experience, pain is rarely just a local issue. It often involves underlying organ weakness or structural imbalance. When these aspects are addressed together, treatment can be more thorough and longer-lasting. I also apply this approach to internal conditions, particularly in fertility and women’s health. This includes supporting natural conception, IVF preparation and embryo transfer, pregnancy support, early-pregnancy nausea, and late-pregnancy labour induction. I combine these treatments with concepts learned from a few additional fertility training, which has given me a broader and more flexible clinical perspective. This has reinforced my belief that acupuncture should be adapted to each individual rather than applied through fixed formulas.
Two other areas of study that have been very helpful in my clinical work are Tongue Diagnosis and Dr. Zhu’s Scalp Acupuncture. Although tongue diagnosis is taught in my standard Chinese medicine training, further study allowed me to deepen and refine my diagnostic skills.
My first formal training was in Li’s Tongue Diagnosis, which looks not only at organ patterns, but also at how different areas of the tongue reflect the body’s structure. This system also explores personality traits and changes during pregnancy, making it both clinically useful and engaging. I later attended online lectures on Yin’s Tongue Diagnosis and studied the related materials independently. this learning has helped me make clearer and more accurate pattern differentiation, allowing my acupuncture treatments to be more targeted. It covers a wide range of conditions, including skin disorders, oncology-related presentations, mental health patterns, and joint or limb problems. In practice, tongue observation often provides valuable insight even before a patient begins describing their symptoms.
In addition to the methods above, I regularly use local bloodletting techniques, which can be very effective for improving circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. I also incorporate auricular (ear) acupressure and stimulation, which I commonly use for allergies, insomnia, headaches, stress management, and various internal conditions.
In my clinical work, I value taking the time to listen carefully to each patient and to understand their overall health, lifestyle, and concerns. Based on each individual’s condition, I also provide personalised dietary guidance and lifestyle or wellness advice to support overall health and long-term wellbeing. I commonly support patients with musculoskeletal pain, such as neck, shoulder, knee, and back pain, as well as stress-related conditions, sleep issues, migraines, digestive concerns, and women’s health and fertility-related conditions.