Medical Marijuana for Glaucoma
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a serious condition of the eye and is considered a neurologic illness like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s’ disease. Glaucoma is when the optic nerve connected to the brain is impacted by damage. Glaucoma may lead to loss of eyesight if not caught early on. Glaucoma generally is the result of the eye being unable to drain fluid. This fluid puts stress inside the eye and pressure is built upon the optic nerve. A common symptom of open-angle glaucoma is mydriasis, when the eye’s pupil becomes dilated. In very severe cases mydriasis can result in the iris to project outward.
Half of all glaucoma patients have ocular hypertension and 90 percent of patients suffer from open-angle glaucoma (OAG). Ten percent of glaucoma patients struggle with closed-angle glaucoma (CAG) which may cause acute, stinging pains in the eye and quick loss of vision due to a complete block of the trabecular network.
It is important to catch glaucoma early by receiving an eye exam every year. Glaucoma is contributed to by a myriad of factors. The average age of glaucoma patients is 75 in the United States. The elderly are more likely to develop this condition. People with Asian, African or Caribbean ancestry are at a higher risk of contracting this illness.
Medical Marijuana for Glaucoma
Dr. Albert Lockhart and Professor Manley West conducted a study in 1964 Jamaica to test the use of medical marijuana in treating the symptoms of glaucoma. Dr. Albert Lockhart and Professor Manley West went on to invent a cannabis-based eye drop treatment for the disease, called Canasol in 1987.
Research found that medical marijuana lowers the intraocular pressure (IOP). This is vital to the treatment of glaucoma because a high-risk factor for patients is ocular hypertension. Medical cannabis has miotic characteristics which promote the draining of the aqueous humor of the optic nerve into the trabecular network.
Medical marijuana is also very effective as a pain reliever which is a necessary treatment in particular for those suffering from closed-angle glaucoma. CAG patients are often plagued with severe stabbing pains in the eye and anxiety due to loss of vision. Medical cannabis acts as an analgesic promoting a reduction in discomfort.
Medical marijuana is also an anti-inflammatory. According to modern research, ophthalmologists theorize that chronic, minor-level inflammation in the trabecular network can operate as a vehicle to progress the deteriorating effects of open-angle glaucoma.
Medical Cannabis is a useful and an effective anti-inflammatory treatment for many varying conditions. However, there haven’t been any extensive research conducted on the possibility of medical marijuana lowering glaucoma-related inflammation. Yet, personal testimonies abound in praise medical cannabis for pain and pressure relief in glaucoma patients. Medical marijuana is a mood enhancer, analgesic, muscle relaxer and an anti-inflammatory.
The application of medical cannabis for glaucoma patients is supported by the National Eye Institute and federal National Institute of Health since the 1970s.
Medical Cannabis Is Legal In Florida
Gone are the days when glaucoma and cancer patients had to break the law to gain access to the wonder drug that is medical marijuana. In 2014, the Compassionate use of Medical Marijuana Act was passed in Florida allowing patients to be free from legal ramifications, but this act did not provide patients with a safe or legal way of obtaining medical cannabis. In 2016, Florida passed Amendment two with a 71 percent majority to legalize marijuana for medical use.
If you’re in pain or discomfort from open-angle or closed-angle glaucoma reach out to the Herbal Clinic for medical marijuana in Tampa, Hudson, or Beverly Hills, FL and gain access to legal and safe medical cannabis that will help alleviate many of your symptoms.
