Chinese Pressure Point
Eye Exercises

Qigong (a.k.a. chi kung) pressure point exercises are part of a nation-wide program implemented by China's Ministry of Health to help prevent myopia and eyestrain.

Called Yan Bao Jian Cao or roughly translated as "Eye Care Gymnastic Exercises", these exercises are routinely practiced everywhere in China, both in the school and workplace.

Myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and other eye conditions stemming from eyestrain can result from focusing and using the same eye muscles in one position for too prolonged a period of time. To prevent eyestrain, take a break every hour or two hours from whatever you are doing and practice some simple qigong eye exercises.

To prevent any possible infections, you should first wash your hands with soap and water before massaging these acupressure points.

Massage in a circular direction for both left and right eyes at the same time, as illustrated in the diagram. The red points show the location of the points.

The diagram shows the second pair of pressure points in a set of four. These two points are called Qingming or "Clear Bright" points. You may have instinctively squeezed on them before, when you felt eyestrain or fatigued.

These are also good for moistening and detoxifying the eyes, while dispelling negative chi energies called "wind" and "heat". Squeeze and massage these two points with forefinger and thumb for a count of sixteen.

Follow the procedure above if you are limited by time constraints. However, optimally, at least once a day, you should do a full set of these exercises including three other sets of pressure points: instead of a count of sixteen, massage each point for a count of eight times eight (totaling sixty-four counts) for each of the four exercises.

Everyone in China knows these pressure point exercises, since they are taught and practiced in schools as part of a regular exercise routine. I have practiced these exercises myself and have been able to maintain my eye health for the past thirty years.

Since a child, I suffered from myopia, but I stopped wearing glasses after learning the qigong vision therapy. My eyesight had improved sufficiently that I could read without them.

Then, when I got my driver’s license I found I was still slightly myopic, and I wore glasses only for driving. I continued to wear the same prescription glasses for the next 25 years! That meant my eyes had not gotten worse, thanks to the vision therapy and qigong I practiced.

I confess, that I will become lazy when it comes to regular practice. However, probably because I practice qigong meditation and other exercises, I have been able to continue maintaining good eye health, and my eyesight has not deteriorated.

More than likely, had I been more persistent I would have been able to improve them to 20/20 vision. Be that as it may, the pressure point exercises in combination with other qigong exercises do work and I have my eyesight as well as my students' to prove it.

A further important note: these pressure point eye exercises will help maintain eye health and prevent many eye conditions that result from eyestrain. However, if you already suffer from myopia, although massaging these points will prevent it from deteriorating any further, they will not reverse it.

To do that, you would need to practice the entire qigong vision therapy, or if you are lazy like I am, resort to Ortho C that Canadian optometrist and police officer John William Yee has developed as an easy and permanent remedy for myopia.




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Qigong Preventive Eye Care & Health Maintenance
The Do's & Don'ts of Qigong Vision Therapy
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