Can Marijuana Be Used To Treat Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is one of the conditions known to cause blindness in people, affecting more than three million patients in America and over eighty million adults worldwide. Extremely high pressure in your eyes can cause it. In addition, glaucoma can damage your optic nerve and worsen as time goes by.
Glaucoma is usually characterized by patchy blind spots on the eyes, tunnel vision, eye pain, and severe headache. You may also experience nausea, blurred vision, and eye redness when suffering from this eye condition. However, these symptoms may vary depending on the type of glaucoma you are experiencing.
Glaucoma Treatment
The damages caused by glaucoma cannot be reversed. However, doctors try to prevent some of the effects associated with this disease, such as vision loss. Therefore, it is advisable to start treating this disease when it is in its early stages.
Doctors treat this eye condition by lowering intraocular pressure. They use prescription eye drops, laser treatment, and oral medications depending on the type of glaucoma you have been experiencing. In recent years, doctors started prescribing medical marijuana, which can change the gloomy predictions regarding this condition’s prevalence and incidence.
Medical Marijuana and Glaucoma
According to some, medical marijuana can be used to treat glaucoma. The compounds in medicinal marijuana usually bind with the body’s endocannabinoid system, modulating the release of neurotransmitters. Others disagree, but we will see in a few moments why.
Does Medical Marijuana Effectively Treat Glaucoma?
THC is the cannabinoid responsible for causing the euphoric feelings associated with Cannabis Sativa. On the other hand, CBD offers most of the medicinal benefits of Cannabis Sativa.
When you use marijuana as a cigarette, the smoke will help lower intraocular pressure, reducing the effects of glaucoma. This is because the compounds in medical marijuana will bind with your CB1 receptors. The result will be an increase in aqueous outflow and a reduction in the production of aqueous. A reduction in aqueous production leads to a decrease in intraocular pressure.
Medicinal marijuana also protects the optic nerve. That helps ensure that this nerve does not get damaged as time flies. In case this nerve gets damaged, one can go blind.
The Pros and Cons of Using Medical Marijuana for Glaucoma
Although medicinal cannabis can be used in glaucoma patients, you should know it has its fair share of limitations.
The pressure-lowering effect related to medical marijuana is usually brief. This effect usually lasts for four to six hours. Unfortunately, that means you have to frequently use medicinal marijuana to prevent the adverse effects of this eye condition. That can be a bit impractical for some patients.
Also, treating glaucoma with marijuana might prove expensive in the long run. It may very well happen to spend more money on medical marijuana than you would spend on conventional glaucoma treatment options. While medicinal marijuana has proven benefits, the American Academy of Ophthalmology considers that science needs to take further steps before it concludes that medicinal marijuana can treat glaucoma.
What Else Should You Know About Medical Marijuana and Glaucoma?
Remember you need a medical marijuana card for you to buy it. You can research more about marijuana card online applications to know how to apply for this card in your state and how to use it in or outside your state.
Some experts warn that using marijuana continuously to treat glaucoma can cause tachyphylaxis.
The continuous use of smoked medical marijuana can increase the risk of cardio-pulmonary conditions.
For these reasons, science and research focus now on developing HU211 for the treatment of various health issues. For example, regarding glaucoma, many propose using cannabinoid-rich eyedrops instead of the smoking or vaping versions.
Glaucoma is an eye condition that can cause blindness if left untreated. You can use medical marijuana to treat this condition with certain limitations and risks. It can be an expensive alternative to traditional medication. Nevertheless, medicinal cannabis and eye diseases are a continuous research topic, so we all have to wait for the subsequent developments in the field.
