Can Medical Marijuana Replace Your Glaucoma Eyedrops? The Answer May Surprise You
Glaucoma is a particularly complex eye disease with many factors involved in its diagnosis. As such, a variety of glaucoma treatments are often considered depending on the severity of the condition — with many alternative options breaking ground as well.
Perhaps the most prominent cause of glaucoma is elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), which occurs when fluid pressure within the eye is too high, risking damage to the optic nerve. This can come about from genetics, diet, or unhealthy habits such as smoking. Most treatments for elevated IOP involve eyedrops, lasers, or surgeries, all of which aim to either improve drainage out of the eye or reduce the amount of fluid building up inside.
But as new trends catch on and drugs such as marijuana become more accepted in the medical space, it pays to dive deeper and examine the potency of new methods for IOP control. Marijuana in particular has long been known to have a pressure-reducing effect within the eye, but how does it stand compared to traditional glaucoma eyedrops? Is medical marijuana that good for glaucoma? Might it become an acceptable treatment in the future? Let’s take a look at the facts!
What Do Glaucoma Eyedrops Do?
For starters, let’s establish how the tried-and-true glaucoma eyedrops — like latanoprost and Lumigan — go about keeping your eye pressures down. There are four main types of glaucoma eyedrops which deal with elevated eye pressure in different ways: prostaglandin analogs/prostamides, alpha agonists, beta blockers, and finally carbonic anhydrase inhibitors.
Prostaglandin analogs help by relaxing your eye’s interior muscles, making its sclera (outer protective layer or “white” of the eye) more permeable and improving the drainage of eye fluid through the uveoscleral pathway. Aside from the traditional route your eye fluid tries to take — via the trabecular meshwork — utilizing the uveoscleral pathway gives it the additional space necessary to keep the pressure to a minimum in many cases. Latanoprost is a prostaglandin analog.
On the other hand, alpha agonists, beta blockers, and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors are primarily focused on reducing the amount of aqueous humor your body produces in the first place. Some examples include timolol, brimonidine, and dorzolamide.
In any case, glaucoma eyedrops typically do their job well by improving either the outflow or creation of eye fluids. This in turn lowers eye pressures to a safer range.
What Does Marijuana Do For Your Eye Pressure?
Since the 1970s, marijuana has been documented to lower eye pressure after use. Marijuana contains a compound known as THC, which evokes dopamine responses as it enters the brain. This also causes some of the well-known side-effects of marijuana use such as slow reaction times, the inability to concentrate, and loss of balance.
When it comes to the eyes, THC lowers blood pressure and dilates blood vessels, increasing blood flow and turning the eyes red. But while THC lowers blood pressure, it also simultaneously lowers eye pressure, thus tempting some people to use it as an unapproved alternative treatment to conditions like glaucoma.
The problem? Marijuana is not nearly as effective at maintaining low IOP as medically-prescribed drops. While most glaucoma drops can control eye pressure for up to 24 hours (which is why several are directed to be used at bedtime everyday), smoking marijuana averages lower pressures for only 3 to 4 hours. That means you would need to smoke marijuana 6 to 8 times per day to keep your IOP in check! Couple this with the hazardous compounds found in cigarette smoke which can damage both the lungs and the brain, and you have a quick recipe for disaster. In fact, lowering the blood pressure in your eyes via marijuana could actually damage your optic nerve and make your glaucoma worse!
Should I Substitute My Eyedrops for Marijuana?
Based on current research, there is only one resounding answer to this question: marijuana is not recommended in any way to control your eye pressure! Frequent marijuana smoking is not only impractical for a long-term ocular condition such as glaucoma, but it’s also ineffective at controlling IOP in the first place. The risk to your everyday health cannot be justified by a few hours of lower eye pressures—no respectful eye doctor would recommend marijuana as an alternative to glaucoma eye drops at this time.
Nevertheless, studies have been in the works to determine the validity of one day creating marijuana and CBD-based eye drops which could provide improved pressure controlling effects along with using THC’s neuroprotective attributes to safeguard the optic nerve. And already published studies have shown that topical CBD could actually raise eye pressure. However, formulating marijuana into a soluble drop formula has proven impossible so far, and traditional pharmaceuticals have only gotten better at what they do in the meantime. It remains to be seen if marijuana might ever rise to a clinically-approved supplement to glaucoma treatment, but right now its use is simply inadvisable.
Nanodropper Saves On Drops
In addition to the points already mentioned, marijuana comes at an expensive price. By one estimate, the cost of just three marijuana cigarettes per day would total more than $8K out of pocket over a calendar year. Unfortunately, glaucoma medication tends to have a hefty price tag at the pharmacy as well.
Did you know that by easily screwing one of our Nanodropper Adaptors onto your compatible eye drop bottle, your drops can last 2 to 3 times longer? That means cutting back on pharmacy visits and keeping more money in your pocket. See our store page to discover how a Nanodropper Adaptor can revolutionize your eye drop regimen!
