CINA
Pulsation of the superciliary muscles a kind of convulsion. A slow stitch extending from above the upper orbital margin deep into the brain. Pupils dilated.
On rising from the bed all becomes black before the eyes, with dizziness in the head and faintness; he totters to and fro relieved on lying down. Yellow vision optical illusion in bright colors.
Clinical.- Cina or santonine may be of service in strabismus or other ophthalmic disorders depending upon helminthiasis, if the child has a pale, sickly look with blue rings around the eyes, pain about the umbilicus, boring of the nose etc. In scrofulous keratitis, in feverish, fretful children who cry out in sleep.
Santonine has been used with favorable results in asthenopia caused by anomalies in refraction. The second decimal potency was employed.- W.H. WOODYATT.
CINNABARIS
Subjective.- Inflammation of the eye. Aching soreness of the eyes worse in the evening. Pain from inner canthus canthus of left eye across eyebrows. Weakness and sleepiness in the eyes about noon; could scarcely keep them open. Drawing sensation from right inner canthus across the malar bone to the ear. Shooting pains in inner canthus of right eye, with a burning and itching. Pain from right lachrymal duct around the eye to the temple.
Clinical.- This form of mercury is an important remedy in ophthalmic therapeutics and the indications for its use are generally very clear.
In various forms of blepharitis, conjunctivitis and keratitis, even when severe ulceration of the cornea has occurred it has proved especially serviceable, if accompanied by that characteristic symptom of pain above the eye, extending from the internal to the external canthus, or a pain which runs around the eye, usually above but sometimes below; this pain may vary greatly in intensity and character, being sometimes sharp, stinging or stitching at other times dull or aching and may extend into the eye or up into the head. The photophobia and lachrymation are usually very marked as well as the the redness. The lids frequently feel so heavy that it is with difficulty they are open, especially in the evening.
Keratitis parenchymatosa and scleritis in which there has been more or less pain over the eye, have been benefited by Cinnabar.
In iritis and kerato-iritis it is often called for especially in the syphilitic variety and if gummata are present in the iris. The chief indication will be found in the characteristic pain over the eye, although in addition to this, there may be shooting pains through the eye into the head, l or soreness along the course of the supra-orbital nerve and corresponding side of the head. The pains are worse at night usually in the evening though in one case the aggravation was from one to three in the morning.
Asthenopia, with pain extending from the inner canthus around the eye and soreness over the exit of the supra-orbital nerve, worse in the morning also with pain around the right eye, aggravated in the evening and upon using the eyes; has been relieved by this remedy.
Cinnabar is a very valuable remedy in certain forms of ciliary neuralgia, as indicated by the symptoms already mentioned. The pains are not sharp and lanciating, radiating from one point in the various directions as in spigelia, neither do they follow the course of the supra-orbital nerve as do the pains of cedron. Kali bichrom. has a similar pain, on the left side.
CLEMATIS
Inflammation of the white of the eye with lachrymation. Pain in the eye. Burning in the eyes as if fire were streaming out of them, with sensation of dryness. Eyes red, glittering hot and dry. Much smarting of the eyes. Photophobia.
Clinical.- The remedy has been most useful in iritis or keratoiritis, in which there has been much dryness and burning heat in the eyes with great sensitiveness to cold air, light or bathing.
COCCULUS INDICUS
Eyelids inflamed. Redness of the sclerotic and haziness of the cornea. Pressive pains in the eyes; lids feel difficult to open can only see the left half of the line in reading. Useful in headaches due to asthenopia. Throbbing in vertex, aggravated on motion of the eyes. Pressive headache in forehead.
COLCHICUM
Inflammation of the eyes. Violent tearing pains in eyes Lids in constant motion. Eyes red and watery worse in open air. In rheumatic affection of the eye. Intense neuralgic headaches.
COLOCYNTHIS
Painful pressure in the eyeballs especially on stooping. Pain in the eyes; a sharp cutting in the right eye-ball. Inflammation of the eye.
Clinical.- It is chiefly serviceable in controlling the pain of iritis and glaucoma with burning sticking or cutting extending from the eye up into the head and around the eye; or else an aching pain going back into the head usually worse on rest at night and on stooping and ameliorated by firm pressure and walking in a warm room; a sensation on stooping as if the eye would fall out is also sometimes present. The lachrymation is profuse. Dr. Linnell No. Amer. Journ. Homoeo., 1887. reports a case of irido-choroiditis serosa which was at least aggravated, if not primarily caused by the use of colocynth hair wash.
COMOCLADIA
The eyes feel very heavy larger than usual painful and pressing out of the head as if something were pressing on the top of the eyeballs moving them downward and outward. Right eye very painful feeling much larger and more protruded than the left. The eyes feel more painful when near the warm stove. Right eyeball very sore worse on moving the eye. Eyeballs feel worse on moving them.
Clinical.- Ciliary neuralgia from asthenopia iritis and a variety of ocular diseases, has been relieved by comocladia when indicated by the above symptoms.
CONIUM MACULATUM
Objective.- White of the eye yellow. Affected with a weakness and dazzling of the eyes together with a giddiness and debility of the whole body especially the muscles of the arms and legs so that on attempting to walk one staggers like a person who had drunk too much liquor. Partially paralyzed condition of the external muscles of the eye; he could hardly raise the eyelids, which seemed pressed down by a heavy weight and was disposed to fall off to sleep. Pupils dilated and sluggish. Lachrymation. Intense photophobia with but little redness of the eye.
Subjective.- Pressure in the eyes while reading. Burning in the eyes and on the inner surface of the lids. Aching pain across the eyebrows of the vision. Itching and pricking in the inner canthus. Smarting in the inner canthus as if something corrosive had got in to the eye.
Vision.- Weakness of vision. Double vision. Sluggishness of accommodation; vision good for fixed objects, but when an object is put in motion before the eyes there is a haze and dimness of vision producing vertigo.
Clinical.- In superficial inflammation of the eye conium is a remedy of the first importance but when the deeper structures have become invaded, not as much benefit has been derived from its use.
Indurations of the lids have removed and ptosis has been benefited by conium.
It is however, in inflammatory conditions of the cornea (ulcers and pustules) that this remedy is chiefly useful especially if the inflammation is superficial involving only the epithelial layers and caused either from an injury cold, or scrofulous diathesis, the latter of which is most frequently the case. The indications for its use are generally very clear and well marked; thus, the photophobia, which is the most prominent symptoms is excessive so that it is with great difficulty that we are enabled to open the spasmodically closed lids, and when they are opened a profuse flow of hot tears takes place (Rhus). Upon examination of the eye we usually find very slight or no redness, not sufficient to account for the great photophobia which is out of all proportion to the amount of trouble. The discharge of mucus or pus is rarely profuse but intimately mixed with tears. The pains vary greatly but are generally worse at night (eye aches on lying down to sleep) and in any light; relieved in a dark room and sometimes by pressure. Hence it appears that conium is chiefly adapted to those cases in which the nerves are in a state of hyperaesthesia or when only the terminal filaments are exposed by superficial abrasion of the epithelial layer.
Hyperaesthesia of the retina frequently calls for this drug. The following instructive case, in which hyperaesthesia of the retina was prominent symptoms came under my care about three years ago; Jessie H., aet. 20, had been subject to severe headache often with nausea all her life. Seven weeks previous to my seeing her, upon waking in the morning she found she could see only dimly with great photophobia and loss of color perception. She had been perfectly well (no headache or pain in the eye) the day before and interested in obtaining a situation which she desired. This condition of the eyes continued without change until I saw her, although she had suffered from a mild attack of pneumonia during the interval. There was some leucorrhoea, but no other uterine symptoms. Upon examination found photophobia so intense that she could not open the eyes, even in a moderately darkened room, without the aid of blue glasses. she could, not see print of any size, not even No. 200 Snellen, though could count fingers at twenty feet. All colors appeared white. External and internal examination of the eyes revealed nothing abnormal. There was constant headache in the somewhat in occiput, worse after 4 p.m. and in the morning relieved by typing the head up. Conium was given. Upon the next day when in church, she was attacked with intense pain in both eyes, followed by headache after which she could distinguish colors. Ten days later the sensitiveness to light had nearly disappeared the headaches had been relieved and her perception of colors was good. Vision 18/200 but with convex 40 vision 20/20, could not read without glasses but with convex 60 could read at usual distance. Under the use of Ruta grav. 2 for about six weeks, both near and distant vision became perfect without glasses (vision 20/20)
Professor of Ophthalmology in the College of the New York Ophthalmic Hospital; Surgeon to the New York Ophthalmic Hospital. Visiting Oculist to the Laura Franklin Free Hospital for Children; Ex-President American Homoeopathic Ophthalmological, Otological and Laryngological Society. First Vice-President American Institute of Homoeopathy : President Homoeopathic Medical Society of the State of New York ; Editor Homoeopathic Eye. Ear and Throat Journal : Associate Editor. Department of Ophthalmology, North American Journal of Homoeopathy, etc.