Not so much for laypeople, but gives a LOT of hope.
I've got an old friend Andy who taught me to play poker years ago. He recently was stricken with age-related macular degeneration. Right when he reached his retirement years and can play a lot of poker - he can't anymore.

My "new" friend Andy - the guy who wrote this book - gave me a lot of hope for my old friend. As he said to me in an email:

"FYI, no one is too far gone in my experience. I've had some crazy success cases of people whom I thought would not get any results. As long as there is still a pulse, there is still hope..."

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can often help when nothing else will. The reason is that drugs rarely cure anything. Most drugs do one of two things. They kill something (in the case of antibiotics or chemotherapy drugs). Or, they react with receptors on cells (by blocking, interfering or activating the receptor). Cell receptors react to biomolecules such as hormones, neurotransmitters, etc.

The problem is this doesn't cause healing - it merely blocks symptoms. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine works by helping the body's natural healing mechanisms take over. Only your body can heal itself - nothing else. Even the greatest surgeon can't heal the smallest cut.

Andy just had an article printed about macular degeneration in Acupuncture Today. You can search for it at their site. According to the article, he's had an 80% success rate. If you're interested in treatment for age related macular degeneration, it's an excellent article. It will tell you if this book is for you.

If you're interested in treatment for other eye conditions and want to know if this book addresses it, you can search inside this book - click on the book cover, above.

Wish I had read this book in acupuncture school....
Another reviewer wrote that this book is not geared towards practitioners, I disagree as I was able to immediately use much of the information in my clinic.

I graduated from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in 2002 and have been fortunate to operate an extremely busy Chinese Medicine practice since early 2003. I also participate in NIH funded research on Chinese Medicine through UMDNJ (University of Medicine and Dentistry, NJ). Over 90% of my patients are "medical throw-aways" who come to Chinese Medicine as a last resort after conventional medicine has failed. A significant percentage of these patients have been those with degenerative eye disorders.

After reading Andy's book on eye and vision disorders, I feel that this book should be a required text in modern acupuncture schools. When I was in school there were no books devoted to the exclusive practice of Chinese opthamology within a modern clinical setting. What little material I read on Chinese opthamology was isolated to theory and pattern discrimination...and of limited help in real world practice. If I had read this book four years ago when I started my practice, I would have had a greater success rate with my opthamology patients.

The information in this book reveals why Andy is considered by other acupuncturists to be a leading authority on traditional Chinese opthamology. This book is clearly a labor of love as he gives away many of the "secrets" that he has learned from specializing in eye disorders for the past 10 years. Any acupuncturist looking to specialize in eye disorders needs to read this book. There is a detailed explanation of Chinese meridian theory and how each elemental pair relates to treating certain eye disorders, and even after years of working as a professional acupuncturist I was able to find new information in this section. Yet what makes this book different from conventional text books is the conversational style of teaching that the author has, and the large amount of "real world" information presented that is only available from someone who has experienced plenty of success (as well as early failures) in his field.

For example, the book integrates Western and Eastern medical theories by breaking down the different part of the eye into their five element classifications (ie: sclera=metal, macula=water) and how specific western diagnoses of eye disorders such as age-related macular degeneration can be treated using traditional zhang-fu and meridian theory. His categorization of various opthamological diseases into five-element theory is then used to explain how the most common Chinese herbal formulas can be used to treat different disorders such as diabetic retinopathy and myopia. Additionally, there is information on the use of self-care exercises for the eyes, a unique explanation of essential oil therapy using Chinese theories, micro-current stimulation, and an explanation of how modern visual acuity tests can be integrated into a Chinese Medicine practice. Most of the above information I have not found in other texts.

As an acupuncturist I found this book to be a goldmine of clinical information for my practice. But if you are suffering from degenerative vision loss and are looking for alternative treatments, I feel that this book would be an excellent start to learn more about natural methods for healing the eyes. I have treated many patients with degenerative eye disorders and I know how terrifying the experience can be...but there is hope if you remain persistent in your search and keep an open mind. Knowledge and understanding will always overcome fear, and this book will give you a new level of understanding if you suffer from vision loss. Admittedly, there may be some parts of the book that might be difficult for the lay person to understand. The information has not been watered down and the author assumes that you have an intense interest in the subject. You will have to read the theory section in the first few chapters several times to be able to understand the more detailed information in the second half of the book, but this is to be expected as Chinese Medicine is a vast subject that takes many years to grasp.

Bottom line: Highly recommended for both clinicians and patients. Five Stars!!!

Excellent book for patients and practitioners alike
This book is written in a way that both patients and practitioners alike will be able to get a lot out of it. The layout is clear, and it is very readable.

I was drawn into the book from the beginning. Even though I am very well acquainted with the basics of Chinese medicine and the organ functions, they are presented an a different context in this book. Everything is given within the context of the eyes and eye diseases. This allowed me to take the knowledge that I had on treatment principles in general, and apply it to eye patterns.

Perhaps the most outstanding aspect of the book is the holistic approach presented to working on eye diseases. There is information on lifestyle, eye exercises, qigong, herbs, acupressure, acupuncture, essential oils, magnets, and moxibustion. All of this information can be used by practitioners to improve their ability to treat eye problems. More importantly, it is written in a way that the patient can go home and do eye exercises, qigong, acupressure, or any of the other home treatment modalities presented in this book to further their eye health.

Overall an excellent book.

A Must Have Book for Practitioners
This book helped to fill the gap of this specialty. Andy gave descriptions of terms I have never heard of before that allowed me to appreciate it even more instead of hearing all the same 'ole boring descriptions/definitions that many others use or copy from other books.

The chapters were well organized and well suited for the beginner who wants to understand the organ functions pertaining to Chinese medicine and how a practitioner will treat eye disorders.

I now know what "snail-shell moxa" is by the pictures in the book.

Relating the western diagnosis to Chinese medical terms make this book useful and important to the practitioner as well as the authors own clinical experience he shares in this book.

I think anyone interested in vision health whether you are a practitioner or layperson will greatly benefit from this book.

Hope for the blind
It's great what Andy is doing with TCM in the treatment of eye disorders, but the book is another story. It is not really geared to practitioners so he doesn't go into any detail regarding his system of "micro-acupuncture". On the other hand he gives formula names, herbs, and dosages which are great for a student of acupuncture. He also gives unique info on the use of essential oils.