Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of eye-acupuncture therapy for post-stroke insomnia.Methods Sixty patients(45-70 years in age)with post-stroke insomnia were randomized into eye-acupuncture group and routine acupuncture(body acupuncture)group(30cases in each).Patients of the eye-acupuncture group were treated by acupuncture stimulation of bilateral Shangjiao(Upper-energizer)and Xin(Heart)regions and those of the routine acupuncture group treated by acupuncture stimulation of Baihui(GV 20)

Sishencong(EX-HN 1)

Anmian(EX-HN 16)

etc.After Deqi

the filiform needles were retained for 20 min

and the treatment in both groups was conducted once a day

with 15 days being one therapeutic course and 2courses altogether.The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)including the subjective sleep quality

sleep latency

sleep duration

habitual sleep efficiency

sleep disturbances

daytime dysfunction

and total PSQI score was used to evaluate the overall sleep quality.The clinical efficacy was assessed according to the"Guiding Principles of Clinical Trials for New Drugs of Traditional Chinese Medicine"formulated by Chinese Ministry of Health.Results Following the treatment

of the two 30 cases in the eyeand routine acupuncture groups

21 and 9experienced a marked improvement in their symptoms

8and 17 were effective

and 1and 4invalid

with the effective rate being 96.7% and 86.7%

respectively.The PSQI scores of the subjective sleep quality

sleep latency

sleep duration

habitual sleep efficiency

sleep disturbances

daytime dysfunction

and the total PSQI score were all significantly decreased in comparison with pre-treatment in each group(P<0.01).The therapeutic effect of the eye-acupuncture was markedly superior to those of routine acupuncture in reducing sleep latency

sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction(P<0.05)

but without significant differences between the two groups in the effective rate

sleep quality

sleep duration

sleep efficiency and total PSQI score(P>0.05).Conclusion Both eye-acupuncture and routine acupunture are effective in the treatment of post-stroke insomnia

and the eye-acupuncture is better than routine acupuncture in reducing sleep latency

improving sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction.