More than one study has looked into how weed can help people with glaucoma. Here are some of the most important studies:
A study from 1971 in the magazine Science found that people with glaucoma who smoked cannabis had up to a 25% drop in eye pressure (IOP).
Researchers performed the first study in 1971 that showed that inhaling THC dropped intraocular pressure (IOP) in most of the people who took part for two to four hours.
Even though this was a small study with healthy volunteers as controls, it made people more interested in the idea of using THC to treat people with glaucoma.
In the 1970s and 1980s, more studies showed that both oral and intravenous administration of THC dropped the pressure inside the eye.
Putting THC on the eyelids as an eye drop did not lower intraocular pressure (IOP). On the other hand, research has shown that CBD does not lower eye pressure and may even make it higher.
Because marijuana is considered a level I drug and has a bad reputation, there has not been much new research on it in the last few decades. Mosaed et al. confirmed in a study that came out not long ago that inhaling THC dropped eye pressure by 15% on average for three hours.
Discovery
A study from 1981 in the journal Ophthalmology found that both people with glaucoma and healthy people who smoked weed had lower IOP.
Researchers in 1989 who reported their findings in the journal Survey of Ophthalmology found that people with glaucoma who were not reacting to standard treatments could lower their IOP by smoking cannabis.
A study from 2006 in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence found that vaporizing weed helped people with glaucoma lower their IOP.
A 2018 study in the journal Weed and Cannabinoid Research found that people with glaucoma who smoked weed had lower IOP.
Based on these results, cannabis may help lower IOP, which is a significant risk factor for glaucoma. However, more study is needed to find out if cannabis is safe and effective for treating glaucoma in the long run.
Extra Things to Think About
Cannabis may help people with glaucoma, but there are a few things you should know:
For example, cannabis can make your mouth dry, your eyes red, make you dizzy, and make it hard to move around.
Cannabis may not work well with some medicines.
It can be bad for your lungs to smoke weed.
Cannabis does not help people with blindness.
If you have glaucoma and are thinking about using cannabis, you should talk to your doctor about the pros and cons.
In Conclusion
Cannabis is a new and hopeful way to treat glaucoma. Before you start using cannabis to treat your glaucoma, you should talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of this medicine.
