Disease and Condition Overview
Conjunctivitis is characterized by painful, red and swollen eyes. In Chinese medicine, it is thought that this disease is triggered by external pathogenic qi or by wind heat attacking the eyes, causing channel qi stagnation and repression of fire, which became painful and blood shot; or because the body constitution is excess of yang, heat build up in the zang fu organs, infected by pathogenic qi, both external and interior pathogenic qi combined and uprise along the channels reaching the eyes, inducing the disease.
Clinically, both eyes will be affected, mostly often seen in spring, summer and fall. There are two types: acute and chronic conjunctivitis. Acute conjunctivitis is often caused by viral or bacterial infection. Chronic Conjunctivitis is often related to sensitivity to and irritation of smoke and fume.

Pair-point Treatment Combinations

(1) Jingming (BL1), Hegu (LI4) (Fig 52)
Jingming (BL1) : on the face, 0.1 cun lateral and superior to the inner canthus, near the medial orbital border.
Hegu (LI4): on the dorsum of the hand, midway between the junction of the first and second metacarpal bones.
Jingming (BL1) dispels wind and extinguishes pathogenic factors, clears liver,  brightens the eyes, opens the luo-connecting channels and stops pain. Hegu (LI4) opens the luo-connecting channels, stops pain, reduces lung, opens fu organs and lowers turbid. This pair point combination, one elevates while the other lowers, one superior, one inferior, clear taiyang and yangming pathogenic heat. This pair point combination is appropriate for acute conjunctivitis caused by wind heat.

Needling techniques :
Jingming (BL1) perpendicular insertion 0.5-1 cun.
Hegu (LI4) perpendicular insertion 1 cun.

(2) Jingming (BL1), Xingjian (LR2) (Fig 53)
Jingming (BL1): on the face, 0.1 cun lateral and superior to the inner canthus, near the medial orbital border.
Xingjian (LR2) : on the dorsum of the foot, between the first and second toe, proximal to the margin of the web, at the junction of the red and white skin.
Jingming (BL1) dispels wind and extinguishes pathogenic factors, clears liver, brightens the eyes, opens the ]uo-connecting channels and stops pain ;Xingjian (LR2) clears fire in liver and gallbladder. This pair point combination, one superior, one inferior, one superior and one inferior, clear liver and brighten the eyes, Appropriate for conjunctivitis caused by liver and gallbladder fire.

Needling techniques:
1. Jingming (BL1) perpendicular insertion 0.5-1 cun.
2. Xingjian (LR2) perpendicular insertion 0.5 cun.

Commentaries
Acupuncture treating acute conjunctivitis has notable results. It reduces swelling and stops pain fast, can shorten the course of the disease and relive symptoms. Because conjunctivitis is a common acute infectious disease in optometry, it is important to pay attention to hygiene. As for patient with chronic conjunctivitis, the treatment should be  combined with over all body treatment, which would require longer treatment period.