Diabetic macular edema （DME） is a common ocular complication of diabetes， referred to as“eye disease in consumptive thirst”in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， which is primarily caused by yang deficiency in the lungs， spleen， and kidneys， leading to an inability to regulate water， resulting in its accumulation in the macula. This condition can significantly affect a patient's vision. According to

Huangdi Neijing

（Su Wen： Tang Ye Lao Li Lun）， the source of the disease is attributed to the weakness of the yang qi of the five organs， which causes the accumulation of body fluids， leading to edema. For edema， it proposes three methods of water treatment， i.e.， opening sweat pores， cleaning the bladder， and eliminating stagnated water. In the case of DME， which is considered a form of ocular edema， these three methods can be applied to warm yang， excrete water， promote water metabolism， expel the pathogenic water， smooth the flow of Yangqi， and achieve the effects of regulating Qi and blood， eliminating water retention， and improving vision.