BL1

Jingming

Star

睛明 (Jīngmíng) — Bright Eyes

Bladder channel · point 1

Not yet clinically reviewed

Meeting point of the Bladder, Small Intestine, Stomach, Yang Qiao and Yin Qiao channels

Traditionally used for

Eye health
Skin

Cautions & contraindications

No moxibustion

Location

On the face, in the depression 0.1 cun superior and medial to the inner canthus of the eye.

How to locate: With the patient supine or seated and the eyes closed, place a fingertip just above and slightly medial to the inner canthus; the point is in the small hollow against the bony medial wall of the orbit.

Regional anatomy: Skin, subcutaneous tissue and orbicularis oculi, then deep between the medial rectus and the medial wall of the orbit; the eyeball lies immediately lateral and the angular vessels run superficially at the inner canthus.

Distances are in cun, a proportional unit — how to measure.

Body map, front: BL1 · Head & face — Fig. — BL1 · Head & face After Albinus, 1747

The skull, from the front — Gray's Anatomy plate — The skull, from the front Gray's Anatomy, 1918

3D view

3D view not available for this point: its position on the 3D model couldn't be checked against its location text, so it is not shown. The 2D maps above show it.

The 3D view is not available for this point, so the eyeball is not drawn. The eye risk above still applies.

Needling

Cited needling

⚠ Major vessel
⚠ Eye

Techniques — the source gives these as alternatives:

Perpendicular insertion

Depth 0.2–0.3 cun

skindeeper
Perpendicular insertion — slowly, with the eyeball held laterally

Depth 0.5–1 cun

skindeeper

Only with appropriate clinical supervision. The patient closes the eyes and looks towards the needled side; hold the eyeball laterally with a finger and insert slowly without lifting, thrusting or rotating. Press with cotton wool for about a minute on withdrawal to prevent haematoma.

Case reports: vascular injury or haematoma after needling at this point (1 case in Wu et al. 2015).

Depths describe average adult habitus in the cited population, never a single safe number for the patient in front of you. Palpate and adjust.

Sources (3)

World Health Organization. Guidelines on basic training and safety in acupuncture. Geneva: WHO; 1999. WHO/EDM/TRM/99.1 — Section II §5.2 (Other points), p. 25 Supports: eye (names this point)
Wu J, Hu Y, Zhu Y, Yin P, Litscher G, Xu S. Systematic review of adverse effects: a further step towards modernization of acupuncture in China. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:432467 — Table 4 (Organ injury) and Table 8 (Hemorrhage) Supports: major vessel (case report)
Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K. A Manual of Acupuncture. Hove: Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications; 1998 — p. 256 Supports: techniques (names this point)

Site notes · not cited

No moxibustion

Depth: 0.3–0.8 cun

Angle: Perpendicular, close along the orbital wall, with the eyeball pushed gently laterally

⚠ Cautions: High-risk point. Do not lift, thrust or rotate; withdraw slowly and press the site for at least a minute. Haematoma is common. Moxibustion is contraindicated.

Functions

Benefits the eyes and brightens the vision
Expels wind and clears heat

Indications

Red, painful and itchy eyesblurred vision and night blindnessexcessive tearingglaucoma and early cataractoptic atrophytwitching of the eyelid

Combinations Using This Point

Jingming, Chengqi and Qiuhou

Jingming, Chengqi and Qiuhou, three periorbital points for eye disease — from red painful eyes and lacrimation to myopia, glaucoma and optic neuritis.

Similar Points

Zhongchong how are these connected?

Sources

World Health Organization. WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region. Manila: WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, 2008. (Location.)

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