Needles… for your eyes? Here’s why people are trying eye acupuncture for screen fatigue

Real talk — after my first meeting with Dr Jolene Chong, founder and practitioner at Gen Eye TCM Clinic, I briefly considered backing out of this story. I’m not afraid of needles, I believe in the benefits of TCM and acupuncture, and I have a relatively high pain threshold. Still, the idea of needles going that close to my eyeballs made me question my life choices.
The fear must have been written all over my face, because Dr Jolene promptly pulled out photos of herself performing eye acupuncture. If that’s not confidence in your craft, I’m not sure what is.

Hearing her speak about her work as a TCM doctor specialising in eye acupuncture was ultimately what reassured me that my eyes were in safe hands — quite literally. While her clinic only opened in mid-2025, Dr Jolene has a decade of experience, including stints at Eu Yan Sang TCM Group and the TCM Ophthalmology Department at Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution. She also holds a PhD in Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tuina from Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, and further specialised in TCM ophthalmology at Dong Fang Hospital in Beijing.

“While general TCM practitioners are trained to treat a wide range of conditions, TCM ophthalmology is a discipline focused specifically on eye health and vision-related disorders,” she explains.

“Practitioners undergo additional, in-depth training in eye anatomy and ophthalmic diseases, integrating traditional Chinese medicine with modern diagnostics. This allows us to better support complex conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, dry eye disease and eye fatigue — often in collaboration with optometrists and Western ophthalmologists.”

The rise of digital eye strain in Singapore

At her practice, Dr Jolene sees a growing number of young working adults dealing with digital eye strain and dry eyes. Known as asthenopia, digital eye strain is estimated to affect up to 70 per cent of adults in Singapore — a strikingly high figure. Contributing factors include long hours indoors and remote work setups, as well as excessive screen time and heavy use of air-conditioning. Beyond eye discomfort, it can also trigger headaches, as well as neck and shoulder pain.

Unfortunately, treatment options in Western medicine are relatively limited, often centering on lubricating eye drops.

This is where TCM takes a different approach. In TCM, the condition is viewed as an imbalance in the body’s core energies, where yang energy does not rise sufficiently to nourish the eyes, while a deficiency in yin leads to reduced blood flow to the area. Weakened kidney energy, coupled with prolonged eye strain, is also believed to play a role.

Dry eyes disease

In TCM, dry eye disease (DED) is understood as a combination of tear deficiency and excessive tear evaporation, which makes treatment more complex. Both external and internal factors are at play: exposure to dry, windy or dusty environments can aggravate symptoms, while internal imbalances — such as emotional disharmony, “liver fire” and prolonged eye strain — can deplete the body’s fluids and reduce nourishment to the eyes. Poorly managed eye conditions may also leave behind residual heat in the body, particularly within the lung and spleen meridians, further contributing to dryness.

“For dry eye patients — particularly those with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) — we also advise maintaining eyelid hygiene using gentle eyelid wipes,” says Dr Jolene. “Where appropriate, support may be complemented with customised herbal prescriptions.” Her clinic has also introduced EyeBright capsules, a supplement designed to support overall eye wellness. “Together, these measures help prolong treatment benefits and improve long-term eye comfort.”

What eye acupuncture really feels like

Eye acupuncture demands exactly the level of care you’d expect. Before starting, patients undergo a basic eye examination, which may include tests for visual acuity, intraocular pressure and dry eye assessments such as tear break-up time (TBUT).

In my case, the assessment was fairly straightforward, focusing on my corneas and retinas. The acupuncture session itself lasted about 20 minutes. While I went in slightly apprehensive, the process was largely painless — and because my eyes had to remain closed, I even dozed off. It was surprisingly comfortable.

For conditions like digital eye strain and dry eye disease, patients may experience immediate relief after each session, including reduced eye tension, less dryness and an overall sense of comfort. (My eyes did feel noticeably refreshed afterwards.)

For more sustained results, however, Dr Jolene recommends a course of four to 12 sessions, depending on the severity of symptoms.

“Self-acupressure eye massages, regular use of warm eye masks and herbal steam therapies are also recommended to promote blood and qi circulation, and to relieve muscle tension around the eyes.”