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Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world. This condition occurs when the optic nerve in your eye deteriorates due to increased pressure inside your eye. While medications can help reduce this pressure, it's still not possible to completely cure the disease.
For people suffering from glaucoma, lowering eye pressure is a matter of life and death. Even if you can't achieve a normal level of eye pressure, you could still see an improvement in your vision.
With the <a href="https://weedzly.com/library/uruguay-the-first-country-to-legalize-marijuana">legalization of cannabis,</a> there is a lot of contradictory information about its use in treating glaucoma. The bottom line is, research has shown it can help. Here is what you should know about cannabis for glaucoma.
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<h2 id="0">What is Glaucoma?</h2>
Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve and cause vision loss. It can occur at any age, but the risk increases with age. Glaucoma impairs the optic nerve's ability to send information from the eye to the brain. This leads to a progressive loss of vision.
<h3 id="1">Is marijuana an alternative treatment for glaucoma?</h3>
Cannabis has been found to be an effective treatment for glaucoma. The U.S. National Eye Institute states that marijuana decreases intraocular pressure, thus reducing the risk of blindness. The institute found that smoking marijuana three times a day decreased intraocular pressure by 25 to 30 percent.
Marijuana lowers intraocular pressure by reducing the pressure of the fluid in the eye. Since the pressure inside the eye is reduced, the optic nerve becomes better able to send and receive information, which speeds up the regular reading and interpreting of what you see.
The desired effect of marijuana for glaucoma patients will be most effective if you smoke pot at least six times a day since it only lasts 3-4 hours. For many, this remains a significant stumbling block to the use of marijuana for glaucoma.
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While many consider marijuana the gateway to more significant drug abuse, it is often used as a last resort. Marijuana can be used successfully to <a href="https://weedzly.com/library/do-edibles-make-your-eyes-red">reduce intraocular eye pressure</a> in the treatment of glaucoma. Cannabis does lower blood pressure, slows breathing, and <a href="https://weedzly.com/library/is-sativa-or-indica-better-for-anxiety">reduces anxiety</a>.
However, marijuana can alter your mood, preventing people who take it from driving or operating heavy machinery. Smoking is also linked to lung damage. To get the medicinal benefits of THC without the smoke, you can now use a vaporizer or apply marijuana topically over the eyes.
The research is ongoing, but there is likely to be some time before a THC-based treatment for glaucoma becomes available.
<h3 id="2">Final Thoughts</h3>
Though marijuana indeed <a href="https://weedzly.com/library/do-edibles-make-your-eyes-red">lowers eye pressure</a>, it also reduces blood pressure. Some studies say that a reduced blood supply to the optic nerve could harm the optic nerve.
With this in mind, it's hard to say if marijuana treatment for glaucoma is a good idea or not. There are no long-term clinical trials, so you should consult your doctor before considering marijuana to help your glaucoma.
For those who can use it, marijuana is probably somewhat effective in lowering IOP. However, its side effects and short duration of action make it less desirable. Studies on marijuana's association with glaucoma also have small sample sizes and are conflicting.
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