After an operation for a detached retina a few years ago, Dr. Patricia Porter of Vancouver, BC, was left with distorted vision, particularly in her left eye.

"I managed for a couple of years," recalls the retired teacher and business owner. "I did a lot of falling down and my eye would get incredibly sore."

By a stroke of luck, she eventually found herself in the Wellspring Clinic for Holistic Medicine in Vancouver, where Dr. Weidong Yu treats eye patients from all over the world.

A Chinese medical doctor since 1983, Dr. Yu began his vision improvement program in 1999. Based on the patient's condition, the program can include acupuncture, acupressure, herbs, exercise, foods and supplements.

Macular degeneration, glaucoma, eye bleeding, diabetic retinopathy, red eyes, dry eyes and blurry or double vision are just a few conditions that his program may help.

Dr. Yu says that while most ophthalmologists see maybe three or four patients with retinitis pigmentosa in their lifetime, he has seen 122 cases of people with this condition. "We've treated many eye diseases that are considered incurable," says Dr. Yu of his specialty. "We've been able to help."

For Patricia Porter and her eye troubles, Dr. Yu conducted two series of 10 acupuncture sessions, as well as herbs. "I noticed a distinct difference," she says. "My [left] eye was less sore. There was less discharge and my vision improved." She says that the most dramatic impact was in the first series, but that the second helped. "It's been permanent," she's pleased to add, as she'd feared the effect would fade.

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