For a lot of people, the first they heard of marijuana being used for medical purposes was probably as a treatment for glaucoma. Some people might argue that because marijuana is natural, in the sense that it’s derived from a plant, it’s a safer or healthier alternative to human-made drug treatments. But is it actually effective? And what is glaucoma, anyway?
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in adults, with about three million Americans affected. It’s a disease of the optic nerve, typically caused by elevated intraocular pressure, or the fluid pressure inside the eye. Usually there aren’t any symptoms until vision loss starts to occur, and many people are already blind in one eye by the time they receive a diagnosis. It’s a chronic condition, meaning it can be managed but not cured.
In 2009, the American Glaucoma Society released a position statement on the use of marijuana as a treatment. They reiterated that intraocular pressure plays a major role in the development of glaucoma, and pointed out that although some medications do exist to help lower the pressure, they are not effective in all people. As a result, they recommended doctors and patients look into alternative therapies. It has been proven that smoking marijuana lowers intraocular pressure in both normal individuals and in those with glaucoma, which is why it was originally suggested as a treatment.
However, the negative side effects of smoking marijuana may not outweigh the potential benefits. For one thing, it only lasts in the body for about three or four hours, meaning that for around the clock treatment one would have to smoke up to eight times a day. This would greatly increase exposure to the harmful compounds in the drug that can damage the lungs and brain. Also, because marijuana impairs the way the brain functions, people who smoked daily would not be able to drive, operate heavy machinery, or perform cognitive functions up to their usual abilities.
There are other ways to administer THC, such as oral, sublingual, and via eye drops. The first two methods avoid the harmful health effects of smoking, but the mental impairment would still be an issue. The use of eye drops is still being investigated, but researchers are having problems coming up with a formulation that is concentrated enough to be effective.
There are also other factors that can lead to glaucoma, including inadequate blood supply to the optic nerve. Marijuana is known to lower blood pressure, so it’s possible that in people whose glaucoma is caused by blood flow and not eye pressure, it could actually make things worse by further lessening the amount of blood that reaches the optic nerve.
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