One of the many uses of medical marijuana is its use as a treatment for glaucoma. This optic nerve condition can lead to loss of vision or blindness without medical assistance. Marijuana has long been hailed for its ability to reduce eye pressure, which causes glaucoma. Here we explore the question: How does medical marijuana help glaucoma patients?
What Is Glaucoma?
First of all, glaucoma is a disease that affects the optic nerve’s pressure. A buildup of fluid within the eye due to increased pressure can damage the optic nerve. This can impair vision, or blind completely.
There are two types of glaucoma: open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma. The first type is the most common, and the slow of the two. In the second type, angle-closure glaucoma, fluid builds up close to the iris. This can lead to rapid blindness and needs medical attention immediately.
An estimated 3 million Americans live with glaucoma. The demographics most affected by glaucoma are people over 60, specifically African Americans. Anyone with a family history of glaucoma should look for loss of peripheral vision.
Difficulty seeing objects at the edges of your sight is the first symptom of open-angle glaucoma. This type of glaucoma won’t be painful, so the best way to diagnose it is to watch for slow vision deterioration. Contrastingly, angle-closure glaucoma manifests as nausea, blurry vision, and head or eye pain.
Studies Show That Marijuana Can Treat Glaucoma
Marijuana is not a cure for glaucoma. There is, in fact, no cure yet for this condition; there are only ways of controlling or stopping its progression.
How does medical marijuana help glaucoma patients? The main way to treat glaucoma is by reducing the pressure on the optic nerve. Though research isn’t conclusive on the