This month a patient asked: “Does Marijuana Actually Help with Glaucoma?”
Dr. Patel answered:
Prescription marijuana has been a hot topic in the news lately. It has been promoted to treat several diseases with far fewer side effects than other prescription drugs. As many patients have asked me about the utility of marijuana in treating glaucoma, I thought this would be something important to discuss.
Right now the only way to treat glaucoma is to reduce your intraocular pressure (IOP) levels, which is usually done with medication or surgery. Recent research has shown that although marijuana does lower IOP levels, it only does so for a short amount of time with high levels of variability.
Since glaucoma needs to be controlled consistently while minimizing pressure spikes, the current medical literature does not support any dosage of cannibis for treatment of IOP and thus glaucoma. In addition, it also lowers blood pressure. This reduces the blood supply to the optic nerve which can result in permanent damage. Currently available medications for glaucoma are much more potent and longer-lasting in terms of pressure-reduction as compared to cannibis. In addition, the mental and systemic side effects of glaucoma do not currently make this an adequate choice of treatment.
As a result, marijuana would not be recommended as a beneficial treatment for glaucoma. Currently accepted treatment options include medications, laser trabeculoplasty, or conventional surgery.
