Qiu Hou Behind the Ball

What does Qiu Hou do?

Qiu Hou benefits the eyes and brightens vision — an extra (non-channel) point below the eyeball, and one of the principal empirical points for diseases of the back of the eye and the optic nerve.

• Benefits the eyes and brightens vision — the whole purpose of the point; a deep orbital point reaching toward the structures at the back of the eye

An empirical eye point of the modern era. Qiu Hou (“Behind the Ball” — the “ball” being the eyeball) is an extra point (coded EX-HN-7 / M-HN-8), not on any of the fourteen channels, developed and used specifically for deep eye disease: it is an empirical point for optic atrophy and optic neuritis (disease of the optic nerve), and is used for myopia, convergent strabismus (crossed eye), glaucoma and retinitis pigmentosa. Its reputation is for the “interior” eye — the retina and optic nerve — where surface eye points cannot reach.

Why it is a specialist point. To reach the back of the orbit the needle is passed between the eyeball and the floor of the eye socket (see the needling tab) — a technique demanding real skill and carrying real risk, used only by practitioners trained in orbital needling. It is emphatically not a beginner’s or self-treatment point.

On the name. “Qiu Hou” means Behind the Ball — qiu a ball (the eyeball), hou behind. The needle path passes behind the ball of the eye.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (extra-point action, location and translation records queried against our own data), cross-referenced against multiple online sources.

What is Qiu Hou used for?

Qiu Hou is used for eye diseases — short-sightedness, inflammation or wasting of the optic nerve, glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, and crossed eye. Our own indication record is reproduced here in full.

• Myopia (short-sightedness)
• Optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve)
• Optic atrophy (wasting of the optic nerve)
• Glaucoma
• Retinitis pigmentosa
• Convergent strabismus (crossed eye)

The interior eye. Every indication is a disease of the deep structures of the eye — the optic nerve, the retina, the pressure within the eye — which is what sets Qiu Hou apart from the surface eye points. It is reached for in exactly these serious ophthalmic conditions.

An honest and necessary note. Every condition on this list is a serious eye disease requiring the care of an ophthalmologist. Glaucoma can cause irreversible blindness and needs medical treatment to control eye pressure; optic neuritis and retinitis pigmentosa require specialist diagnosis and management; any change in vision is urgent. Acupuncture at this point, where used, is an adjunct delivered by a trained practitioner alongside proper ophthalmic care — never a substitute for it. This record documents empirical use only.

How it is combined. With BL-01 Jing Ming at the inner canthus, GB-20 Feng Chi at the back of the head, SI-06 Yang Lao and GB-37 Guang Ming distally (both classical eye points) — always alongside ophthalmic care. All held here.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (extra-point indication and action records; the BL-01, GB-20, GB-37 and SI-06 records queried from our own data), cross-referenced against multiple online sources.

Where is Qiu Hou located?

Qiu Hou is on the lower rim of the eye socket, about a quarter of the way in from the outer corner.

• Along the inferior (lower) border of the orbit — the bony rim beneath the eye
• At the junction of the outer one-quarter and inner three-quarters of that lower rim

On the bony rim, not on the eye. The point is marked on the bony lower edge of the eye socket, a quarter of the way in from the outer corner. From there, the needle (in trained hands) is directed along the floor of the orbit behind the eyeball — but the surface point itself is on the rim. This is a landmark for a specialist technique, not a point to press or needle casually.

On the name. “Qiu Hou” — Behind the Ball, as noted above.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (extra-point location and translation records, retained unchanged, against our own data).

• A Manual of Acupuncture (p. 566): Along the inferior border of the orbit, at the junction of the lateral one quarter and medial three quarters of the infra-orbital margin.

How is Qiu Hou needled, and why is it a specialist point?

Our own record describes a deep orbital technique: the needle is advanced slowly along the orbital floor against the bony ridge, behind the eyeball, to 0.5–1 cun; once inserted it is not lifted, thrust or rotated, and firm pressure is applied afterward. What follows is a neutral record of what the reference literature documents. It is NOT instruction; this page does not teach the technique, and the technique is not one for anyone but a trained specialist.

• The recorded method: the eyeball is protected and displaced, and the needle passes between the eyeball and the orbital floor, 0.5–1 cun, without lifting-thrusting or rotating (to avoid tearing vessels); firm pressure is applied on withdrawal to prevent a haematoma.
• Moxibustion: not applicable — never used at the eye.
• Regional anatomy: the orbit behind the eye holds the optic nerve, the ophthalmic artery and veins, and the extra-ocular muscles, packed in fat — a small, vessel-rich, high-value space.

Hazard, stated plainly. This is one of the highest-risk points in the whole system. The chief danger is a retrobulbar (periorbital) haematoma — bleeding behind the eye from a torn orbital vessel, which can press on the optic nerve and threaten sight, and is a medical emergency. This is why the needle is inserted slowly, without manipulation, and pressure applied after. The orbital vessels are exactly why this point belongs only to practitioners specifically trained in orbital needling. It must never be attempted by an untrained person or on oneself.

What is not claimed. No safe-depth study is borrowed; the technique’s safety rests entirely on operator skill. The retrobulbar-haematoma risk is well described for orbital points generally.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (extra-point needling record, retained unchanged, against our own data), cross-referenced against multiple online sources; orbital anatomy and the retrobulbar-haematoma risk from standard anatomical and clinical description.

Is there research on Qiu Hou, and what should a reader know?

Qiu Hou has been studied more than most extra points, precisely because of its use in serious eye disease (optic atrophy, retinitis pigmentosa) — but the evidence remains limited and is best interpreted by ophthalmologists, and where the point appears it is usually one part of a protocol.

What this page can state with confidence. Qiu Hou (“Behind the Ball”, EX-HN-7) is an extra point on the lower orbital rim, used empirically for deep eye disease — optic neuritis and atrophy, glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, myopia, strabismus. It is reached by a deep orbital needling technique carrying a real risk of retrobulbar haematoma, and is strictly a specialist point.

A safety note that outranks every TCM claim on this page. These are sight-threatening diseases requiring an ophthalmologist, and this is a high-risk orbital point. Both point the same way: proper eye care first, and this point only in expert hands.

A note on searching for it. Qiu Hou is coded EX-HN-7 (older texts: M-HN-8); “Qiuhou” also returns place and personal names. Any claim should be checked against what a study actually used.

Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (extra-point action, indication and location records queried, against our own data).