From the clinical manifestations, the disease at the early stage should pertain in traditional Chinese medicine to "Juxingzhang" (dendritic keratitis). When the punctuate infiltration becomes confluent to form a dendritic or geographic ulcer, there develops the case of the TCM's "Huayi Baixian"(Keratomalacia) .  In the cases of cold,  fever, emotional trouble, menstrual disorder or chronic diseases due to the imbalance of yin and yang, qi and blood, the pathogenic factor of wind-heat or wind-cold, by taking advantage of the body's deficiency, invades the eye resulting in the disease.

It may be caused by the fact that the internal pathogenic heat transformed from the invading external pathogenic factors or the latent fire of liver meridian recurrently affected by pathogenic wind brings about the conjoint wind-fire invasion and hyperactivity of fire and heat. When dampness and heat of the spleen and stomach is bred by the habitual preference of the pepper and frying foods, the eye is fumigated and the disease occurs. Sometimes, it may be formed due to yin deficiency or burning damage of body fluids after febrile diseases, for either of factors may cause the consumption of yin fluids which, when affected by pathogenic wind, may give rise to the disease.