{"id":205,"date":"2019-08-22T01:57:26","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T01:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eyedoctorsite.com\/blog\/?p=205"},"modified":"2019-08-22T01:57:26","modified_gmt":"2019-08-22T01:57:26","slug":"marijuana-and-glaucoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eyedoctorsite.com\/blog\/marijuana-and-glaucoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Marijuana and Glaucoma"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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More than half of the states in America have legalized medical marijuana in some form, and more are considering bills to do the same. The greatest amount of evidence for the therapeutic effects of cannabis relate to its ability to reduce chronic pain, anxiety, nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, and spasticity [tight or stiff muscles] from multiple sclerosis. However, while many people are using marijuana, the FDA has only approved it for treatment of two rare and severe forms of epilepsy. As early as the 1970s, research showed that marijuana reduces the pressure inside the eye, which is the major contributing factor to developing glaucoma. The intraocular pressure decreased for three or four hours after smoking cannabis or ingesting THC as a pill or injection. But to treat glaucoma and save vision, eye pressure has to be controlled 24 hours a day. Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve, the main nerve that carries visual information from the eye to the brain. Damage to the optic nerve from glaucoma results in vision loss and if untreated, blindness.When these early reports about marijuana lowering eye pressure came out, they generated considerable interest. At the time, available eye drop medications for glaucoma caused a variety of adverse side effects. However, these drugs have now been replaced by much more effective medications with no or very few side effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The marijuana plant contains more than 100 different chemicals called cannabinoids. Each one has a different effect on the body. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the main chemicals used in medicine.  THC also produces the “high” people feel when they smoke marijuana or eat foods containing it. According to the Academy of Ophthalmology, Cannabis and currently available compounds derived from marijuana, like CBD \u2013 are not an adequate treatment for glaucoma, or any eye condition. To treat glaucoma, eye pressure must be managed 24 hours a day. To reduce intraocular pressure by 3 to 5 mm Hg \u2014 and maintain that reduction \u2014 you would have to igest about 20 mg of THC six to eight times a day, every day. The possible negative effects on mood, mental clarity and (if smoked) lung health would be significant. You would not be able to drive, operate machinery or engage in many common activities. In addition, the cost of using marijuana every three to four hours, every day makes it cost-prohibitive for most patients.  Increasing evidence shows that reduced flow of blood to the optic nerve may also cause damage in patients with glaucoma. Marijuana not only lowers eye pressure, it also lowers blood pressure throughout the body. As a result, marijuana has the potential to lower the blood flow to the optic nerve, effectively canceling out the benefit of lowered intraocular pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a comparison, alcohol also has a moderate intraocular pressure-lowering effect for an hour or so after a drink. But no doctor would recommend that you drink alcohol every hour to treat glaucoma. Many other effective treatments are available that don’t have the side-effects of alcohol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marijuana reduces blood pressure and produces psychological effects that some people\u2014particularly the elderly\u2014find intolerable. Several patients in these studies also reported that their hearts pounded or raced and that they felt uncomfortably anxious after taking cannabinoids. All of these effects could prove especially problematic for people at risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke; moreover, reduced blood pressure could decrease blood flow to the optic nerve, counteracting the benefits of reducing intraocular pressure (IOP.) Finally, their short duration of effect means that marijuana-based medicines must be taken up to eight times a day, which most patients are unlikely to do; other medicines reduce IOP equally well and need only be taken once or twice a day. This is an important difference because patients need to control IOP continuously due to the progressive nature of glaucoma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bottom line about marijuana and glaucoma is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n